Home, Love, Family
by Ducky2196
Summary: Gabby has been working at 51 for only a month, enjoying the friendships that were growing, but she had a secret, something that she liked to keep to herself, but she began to realise that it wasn't as easy as she would like when you become close with the people you work with. Eventual Dawsey! lots of drama, suspense, friendship and romance coming you way!
1. If You're Sure

**Hey all so this is my new idea! This is a long first chapter but I am hoping to keep them this long because I like reading long chapters so I like writing them! **

**I want to thank jscat2 for helping me out with this. (I lied, its up already **** )**

**Let me know what you all think! :D**

**Chapter 1 – If You're Sure**

He had been watching her for a few weeks now, she was quiet, reserved but he could see something behind her eyes, something that resembled a fierce stubbornness that he was, for some reason, drawn to. Gabby Dawson had been working at Fire House 51 for almost a month, quickly fitting in with the rest of the team, easy to get along with, didn't mind a joke or a laugh, but there was something about her, something that Matt Casey couldn't put his finger on. He had spoke to Shay about it, hoping that maybe there was something Gabby had told her in passing, being her partner, but there was nothing, their conversations were meaningful but part of her felt that Gabriella was being slightly superficial, very vague in topic. He just couldn't work out why he cared so much about it. "Hey, get your head out of the clouds Casey!" Shay's voice caught him off guard, not realising that he had been sitting at the head of the table, his usual place, but he had been staring off into the distance, his mind fleeting back to the new PIC that had joined them. Shaking his head, Matt smiled, "Sorry, guess I was lost in thought." He laughed in spite of himself, blushing slightly as Shay gave him a knowing smirk. For some reason after he had asked about Gabby Shay had latched onto the thought that he had a thing for her, so there was a lot of teasing that was coming his way, although he was thankful that no one else had cottoned on to it. If he was honest with himself, Matt could say that there was something about the new girl, he _didn't _have a thing for her but he was drawn to her, or so he told himself.

It was the start of their shift, each sitting down in their usual places, most with breakfast in front of them, nothing unusual, but today was different, there was someone missing, although Matt was _not _going to be the one who mentioned it. He was thankful however when Herman did instead, "Hey where is our new PIC? Shouldn't she be here yet?" He looked towards Shay who just shrugged, "I'm sure she is just running late, it's not a big deal anyway…" Truthfully Shay was a little worried. In the short time that Gabby had been working at 51 they had become very close, although Shay still struggled to get anything out of her about her home life, Gabby had opened up about her life in general, which she was happy with. Shay could see them becoming very good friends in the near future. As if on cue, Gabby came rushing through the double doors, her head down, bag slung over her shoulder, throwing a 'morning' to the rest of the room as she rushed passed the table towards the change rooms. Shay and Matt shared a concerned look, there was something about her behaviours that worried them both, so Shay, pouring another cup of coffee moved to follow her, intent on making sure her was ok. Coming into the change room, Shay found Gabby sitting on the benches, staring at her phone, her back facing the entrance.

"Hey …" Shay moved closer to the PIC, making sure not to startle her more than she had already, Gabby had turned shocked to hear her voice, but relaxed when she noticed that it was only Shay. "Oh, hey, sorry I was late, I had something to deal with at home that took longer than I thought it would." She was apologizing when it wasn't needed, so Shay waved it off, smiling before handing the coffee cup to Gabby who returned the warm smile, thankful for the offer of coffee. "It's all good. We all have those days." They chatted for a few minutes, Shay coming to sit on the bench beside Gabby, who welcomed the feeling of friendship she found in Shay. "Oh hey considering shift ends tomorrow on a Friday, someone of us are heading out to a bar called Molly's, did you wanna come with us?" Shay watched as Gabby's mouth bobbed slightly for a second before answering, "Thanks, but I can't tomorrow, I have something on."

Gabby looked away from Shay, not really wanting to meet her eyes, so Shay just nodded, "Alright well the offer is on the table if you change your mind." Shay placed her hand on Gabby's shoulder, silence stretching between them. It wasn't until someone clearing their voice caught both the girl's attention. Looking up they found Casey standing in the doorway, shuffling between his feet because he didn't want to disturb them. "Sorry girls just needed to get something…" he pointed towards his locker, which had been situated next to Gabby's. "Oh sorry lieutenant, we are just leaving anyway. We need to restock the ambo." Gabby spoke softly, her gaze anywhere but on his, the word lieutenant holding more authority than Matt liked. He had introduced himself as 'Matt or Casey' but she had always called him lieutenant. With one last glance to Shay the girls left Matt alone, worry filling his eyes, shaking it off as the bells rung out through the house.

Jumping into the ambo as fast as they could, Gabby and Shay sped off towards the call, Truck 81 and Squad 3 only second behind them. They drove in silence for a few minutes, Gabby staring out the side of the ambo, Shay watching where she was driving. Breaking the silence, Shay spoke, "Hey are you sure you're ok? Looks like something is wrong." Her voice was soft, wanting to show Gabby that she was caring not nosey. Gabby laughed slightly, rubbing her eyes, "Yeah, yeah. I'm ok. Just been a long couple of days that's all. I didn't sleep well last night…" Her voice trailed off as Gabby yawned, covering her mouth. Shay pursed her lips, "Ok, if you're sure. But if you need anything, give me a yell. I have a very comfy shoulder _and_ I have ice-cream." She was trying to get a laugh out of Gabby and it worked, a full smile had come to her lips as she looked over at Shay. "Thanks, I really appreciate it. And I will, I promise." Another smile was shared between the two girls as they pulled up to the house fire, the trucks already parking and the fire fighters jumping out ready for action. Chief had informed the girls to stay back until they were needed, something Gabby wasn't too fussed about. She had always been amazed at the job that fire fighters were able to do but knew she would never have the guts to do it herself; it took a special type of person to be a fire fighter, a type of person she knew she was _not._ She could hear chatter over the radio's Herman and Casey talking to the Chief who nodded to Squad that they were needed, someone was trapped in the basement that truck couldn't get to. She watched them run is, their lieutenant flashing a smile back to Shay as he went, a knowing nod received in return.

Gabby had found out very early on that Shay and Severide were the best of friends, closer than anyone would think possible, if it hadn't been for Shay being gay, Gabby honestly thought that they would have been dating. She smiled to herself, it had been a long time since she had had a friend like Shay did, hoping that one-day, maybe soon, she would be able to find someone she trusted enough to confide in. And since starting at 51, she believed that this was the house where she would find that friendship; Shay was already showing that she was caring enough to question her. If Gabby had been honest with herself she would say that she had missed human contact, the type you would get from spending time with people outside of work, getting to know them on a different level than just the professional. Pulling herself from her thoughts, a bright flash of fire entered her vision, the sound of the Chief calling into his radio, his concerned voice showing more worry than it probably should have. It wasn't until Herman's voice returned the worried call, "We are all good Chief, stove blew but we are all on our way out now." Each of them, Gabby, Shay and Chief, all let out a breath of relief, the last thing they needed was a hurt fire fighter.

Gabby watched on as one by one the fire fighters that had run into the house came out, each of the carrying an adult or a child, bringing them over to the waiting paramedics. Instinctively, Gabby reached for the small child in the Casey's arms, bringing her to sit on the gurney; Gabby started to look over the child, sighing happily when she noticed that there were no injuries just dirty. Her eyes flickered to Casey who was watching her closely, the look in his eyes telling her that he was worried about the same thing, hoping the child was ok. "You're ok honey. Why don't we go and find your mum and dad?" Gabby pulled her eyes away from Matt, looking back down at the child in front of her, the child's scared face turned to a small smile as she hugged Gabby, a "thank you" falling from her lips before she jumped off the gurney and ran to the adult that Shay was looking after.

Turning her attention back to Matt, Gabby smiled, "Good job, I think you got to her just in time. She was very lucky." Matt returned the smile, something about the compliment meaning so much to him. He shrugged slightly embarrassed, "Just doing my job …" he turned back to the scene of the house fire, making sure that his team was doing their job, also not wanting Gabby to see the embarrassment that had flashed over his face. But at the same time Gabby noticed something she didn't expect to see, there was a charred hole in the back of Matt's turnout jacket, clearly a burn that had gone skin deep. "Hey …" Gabby went to Matt's side, her hand touching his shoulder, causing him to jump at the sudden contact, not realising she had been standing behind him. He looked down at her concerned when her eye focussed on his shoulder, not being able to see it for himself. "You've been burned, come on, lets get this checked out…" her fingers brushed against the hole in his jacket, clearly telling him there was something wrong when he had felt the air. Shay was waiting by the side of the ambo now, each of the occupants had been treated, none of them requiring anything more than what they received and so she watched Gabby and Matt walk back towards the ambo, a slightly confused look on her face until she say the red, raw skin showing through Matt's gear.

She wanted to question him, but watched to see what Gabby would do as she took a seat on the gurney inside the ambo, Matt sitting with his back to her, shrugging his jacket off. "Take your shirt off so I can have a look at it." If there was any embarrassment in her statement, Gabby didn't show it but something flashed over Matt's face for a split second, glancing back he noticed that Gabby wasn't even looking at him, her eyes focused on the bandages she was reaching for, before he did what he was told, slowly pulling the grey CFD shift from his body, suddenly realising how sore his shoulder was. Glancing back to Matt when she looked up, Gabby's eyes flickered down his back; suddenly realising he was sitting in front of her half naked. Hey she wasn't blind, he was hot and she knew it, but she just wasn't allowed to think of him that way, she chastised herself before moving to touch his back, feeling his muscles contract under her touch, shaking off the reason why as she placed cream around the area, treating the wound before placing a bandage over it. "You'll have to get this looked at tomorrow, just to change the bandages and make sure it's ok." She spoke to him absentmindedly as Matt glanced back at her, a nod coming from him as a sign to show his agreement. Gabby glanced up suddenly realising that the Chief had now come to see why his truck lieutenant was sitting in the back of the ambo.

"Casey, what happened?" His deep voice filling the silence, Casey turned quickly to look at the chief, reaching for his shirt, pulling it over his head, "When the shove blew, I turned my back because I had the child in my arms, must have been caught by the flames as I turned. I didn't even feel it, it wasn't until Dawson told him to take my shirt off did I realise I was sore." There was a slight blush that had made its way to Matt's cheeks as he spoke; his words shouldn't have been something to cause the embarrassment, its what had happened. Her request was innocent and that was all. Chief nodded, glad to know that his men were all right before placing a hand on Matt's shoulder, "Make sure you keep an eye on it…" He then looked back at Gabby who had been putting away what she was using, trying to ignore the image of Matt sitting in front of her without a shirt on. "…Good catch Dawson, everyone here knows he would have ignored it if you hadn't have caught on. Good looking out for the men." And with another nod, Chief had left, Casey, flashing a quick smile "thank you" back as he followed, pulling his jacket back on so they could pack up and leave.

"So… that was weird…" Shay spoke suddenly, noticing that Gabby had turned away from her, her eyes focused on cleaning up the mess in the ambo before they left as well. She didn't even bother looking up at Shay, although still answering, "What was weird…?" It was an honest question; she wanted to know why Shay thought it was weird. Shay just laughed, "You're kidding right? Did you not see the way Casey looked back at you?" Gabby groaned, this was not what she needed right now, but she was wrong, the conversation was just about to get worse, "Do you have a thing for Casey?" Shay's question stopped Gabby's movements, her eyes flashing up to see Shay standing with her hands on her hips, watching closely. Locking her jaw, Gabby went back to her work, "No, I don't have a thing for the lieutenant. Can we please just get this cleaned so we can go?" Gabby glanced back up now; looking passed Shay to see both Truck and Squad had already started to move away from the scene. The force behind Gabby's words made Shay stop, she knew when she needed to be silence, although it didn't happen very often, it did at this time. "Alright, it should be about lunch time anyway by the time we get back." Jumping into the back of the ambo, Shay and Gabby spent the next few minutes cleaning up before heading back to the house, just in time to see lunch being served.

* * *

><p>The rest of the afternoon was quiet for the house; none of them had any calls to go on, which they were thankful for. It allowed them to get caught up on their own things, Severide working on his new (old) bike, Herman and Mouch watching TV, Shay relaxing with a book and Matt sitting in his office, trying to work on his report from the morning that he had been putting off. He couldn't stop thinking about Gabby and how he had reacted when she had touched him, granted it had been a while for him, since the last time he had been with anyone, it was still not a reaction he liked to show in public, and there was something about her that he was so interested in. He didn't know what it was but it was something. Glancing at the time, the red numbers flashed 8:03pm he sighed, stretching his back before his hand reached over, gently touching the bandage that covered the burn, sighing once more he stood, he wanted to thank Gabby properly, she had looked after him without even bothering to give him the option, and he knew he would say it was fine had she given him the option but he was glad she had stopped him. He walked from his office, intent on find her, wanting to speak to her properly. Walking into the common room, he found that she wasn't around; he looked out towards the garage, not seeing her but seeing a shadow instead. Hoping that it was her, and that she was alone, he silently walked through the room and through the double doors, glancing around as he walked.<p>

He was right; there she was her back resting against the side of the ambo, her hand to her forehead, as she seemed to be speaking on the phone. He didn't want to interrupt or eavesdrop so he stood at the side, enough for her to look up and see him but realising that he could still hear what she was saying. "I know baby, I'm sorry…you know I miss you…yes I do but …no baby I …yea ok… I love you …" Something inside of Matt dropped, he didn't know if it was his heart or his stomach but something inside of him shattered a little when he heard those words come from her mouth. God, why did this girl have this affect on him? He watched her move the phone from her ear, huffing as she rubbed her face, suddenly realising that someone was standing near her. Snapping her head up suddenly, a sudden look of fear flashed over her eyes before it softened, "Hey sorry, I didn't see you there…" Her voice trailed off as she moved away from the ambo, watching as Matt dug his hand into his pocket, a sudden shyness coming over him. "No I'm sorry; I didn't mean to interrupt your phone call…" he motioned to her, moving his from in front of him to the back of his neck. Gabby looked down quickly, hoping he hadn't heard too much of it. "Oh no, its fine, I was done anyway… So, what's up?" she really needed to change to subject, not wanting to linger too much on the phone call. This caused Matt to smile, she didn't pull away from him like he expected for some reason and so he took a step closer to her, smiling again, "I just really wanted to thank you for taking care of my back today. I honestly hadn't realised it happened and Chief is right, if you didn't notice, I wouldn't have said anything. I'm stubborn like that…" Her smile grew as he spoke, finding humour in the conversation, "Oh its fine, really! Anyway I know someone like you … doesn't listen to anyone but himself. A real pain in the ass!"

She laughed again, a hearty laugh that made Matt's smile grow more, he liked hearing her laugh but there was something about what she said that made his smile falter a little but he didn't get a chance to think on it as she moved to touch his arm, her warm hand finding his bare arm, he swallowed deeply. "Really lieutenant, just doing my job," She moved away from now, heading to the back of the ambo where the doors were open, jumping in and moving around. It took Matt a moment to break out of his thoughts, moving to lean up against the door of the ambo, watching her intently. He spoke after a few minutes, "Tell me something… why do you call me lieutenant?" His arms crossed over his chest as he watched her smile, not meeting his eyes, "Isn't that what you are?" She laughed, this time her eyes finding his, crinkled at the edge with laughter. Matt smirked back at her attitude, "Oh you think you're funny do you?" He tried to be serious but couldn't, his smile matching hers as she nodded. They laughed at each other for a few seconds before she shrugged, "I dunno, I guess I don't know you well enough to call you anything but…" she shrugged again, looking back down at the clip board at her lap, Matt's eyes narrowing before pushing himself away from the doors, his hand extended, waiting for her to shake it. "Well … Hello I'm Matt Casey. It's nice to meet you…" He watched as Gabby glanced at his hand before meeting his eyes, her hand stretched to meet his, "Hello Matt. Gabby Dawson." They smiled at each other, Matt relishing in the sound of his name coming from her lips, Gabby nervous as he clasped her hand in his.

* * *

><p>She was home; finally, after a long day she was finally home. The house was quiet, not surprising considering it was about almost 8:30am, she silently dropped her bag, her keys and her jacket onto the couch, kicking off her shoes before heading towards her bedroom to get changed. After she had changed into her track pants and a loose fitting t-shirt, she crawled into bed, smiling and snuggling up to the warm body that was lying there already. Wrapping her arms around the body's stomach she pulled him towards her chest, burying her head into his shoulder, "Hey I'm home…" the body turned in her arms, snuggling closer, a sleepy voice greeting her cheery one, "Morning mama".<p>

**Any thoughts?**


	2. This Is Our Home

**I can't believe all the love I got for the first chapter! It made me wanna post the next one earlier than I wanted so if you want chapters quick …show me some love! :D Does bribery work? ;) **

**Chapter 2 – This is Our Home**

Gabby work up a few hours after laying down, finding herself alone in her bed, she stretched, they had had a pretty quiet night, no calls, so she had been able to sleep all night but when she had come home and laid down next to her son, she had fallen asleep, loving having him in her arms again. Rolling over she checked the time, noticing that it was almost 11am she groaned and got up, padding into the lounge to find him sitting on the couch quietly, and playing what looked to be Mario on the TV. "Hey baby, how come you didn't wake me up? I thought we always play together…" He shrugged, pressing pause on the game before turning towards her. "You were tired, I wanted to let you sleep…I didn't think you'd wanna play with me anymore…" he had turned back to the TV although not pressing play again, Gabby sighed and moved towards him. "Baby, why would you think I don't want to play with you anymore? We always play when it's your birthday…"

She sat down next to him, noticing that his head was down, looking everywhere but at her. She touched his cheek, bringing his face up to his as he spoke, "It was my birthday yesterday and you weren't here…" His words cut her, she knew he missed her, she knew he hated when she worked on his birthday but she had to do what she needed to do to give him everything he deserved. "Oh honey, I know. I'm so sorry I couldn't spend time with you yesterday. I wished I was home with you like always but didn't you have fun with Uncle Antonio?" She really did wish she was home but she had to work and her brother and his family had spent the day with him. She wanted to tell him that she was late to work yesterday because she didn't want to leave him, wanted to wish him happy tenth birthday when he woke up but in true Dawson fashion, he had slept until as late as he could, Antonio telling her that he had woken up at around 10:30am.

"Yeah I did, I just … I missed you mum. I love you." Her son wrapped his arms around his mother's stomach bringing her as close as he could, Gabby holding him close, "James you listen to me. I love you with all my heart, you know that and I know sometimes I can't be there when you want me, like yesterday but I promise you that everything I do is for you and to make sure you have everything you could possible want. Do you understand me?" He nodded against her stomach, sniffing slightly before he pulled away, looking back at his mum, "Wanna play?" he handed her the spare remote and changed the game to multiplayer, laughing menacingly as she joked that she was going to beat. As they played Gabby glanced at her son, happy to see him so happy, she spoke, "What time did Uncle Antonio leave this morning? He didn't call me…" She hadn't forgotten that Antonio had stayed with him during the night, changing the plan that usually had James staying at Antonio's house on the night that Gabby had shift to staying home so Gabby could see her son for his birthday, but she realised that he must have left early. "It was early; I think he got a phone call from work. Woke me up to make sure I would be ok on my own, it was about 7:30 when he left I think, I went back to sleep." Gabby nodded, thinking to herself that she would have to ring her brother later in the day to thank him again. She didn't like having James stay home alone, although it was only for an hour, but she couldn't fault her brother for having to work. Then she remembered she had never gotten a chance to give James his present. Pausing the game suddenly she jumped up, pulling the young child into her arm laughing, "Do you want your present now?"

James pulled away, a smile forming on his face, as the ten year old couldn't stop the excitement coming over him in waves; his mum always gave the best presents. He nodded quickly as Gabby moved from the couch to her bedroom, pulling out a key that she had had hidden in her underwear draw, knowing he wouldn't even bother going in there. Coming back to the lounge room, she held up the key to her confused son who stood and reached for it. "What's this for ma?" His eyebrows scrunched up confused he had no idea what they purpose of the key was for and how it could possible be his present. Well I think we should go and have a look." She moved to place her hands on his shoulders, turning him so he was facing down the hall. They walked passed the bathroom, passed the study, passed what was James' room (he slept in Gabby's bed when she was on shift, it made him feel safe when his mum wasn't there) and she turned him to the last room in the hall, one that as far as he had known had been locked the whole month they had moved in. His mum just telling him it was extra storage but too dangerous for him to go in, so he never did.

Gabby motioned for him to put the key in the locked, watching as he turned it slowly, letting the door open slowly. As it opened, James gasped, inside was a large bedroom, not as big as his mum's but bigger than his last room, there was a double bed in the middle covered in Batman covers, something she knew he loved. Along the walls, comics lined the walls instead of photos; special comics that had been hard to find that were hold in special pockets to protect them. Three of four of the walls were a cream colour but the fourth, behind the bed was a dark blue, a nice backer for the cream coloured furniture in the room. Stepping further into the room, James smiled, this was _his_ room, he finally had a room all to himself, turning to face him mum he smiled through teary eyes, "Does this mean we are stay here?" Until recently they had moved around a lot, living in small apartments, never really putting up photos or getting settled but the fact that his mum had painted his room and put up photos in the house meant so much more than any present, he had ever gotten. "Yes baby, this is our home now, we aren't going anywhere. Uncle Antonio lives a few blocks away, your school is close and I only work fifteen minutes from here. This is our home." She watched as her son ran to her arms, jumping into a hug, "Thank you mum! I love it!" He kissed her cheek, burying his head into her neck as they held each other, finally happy to have a home.

Gabby and James spent the day together, enjoying their free Friday as they went to the movies, had ice cream and just had fun together as it was his belated birthday celebration he couldn't have the day before, also James would be going back to school on Monday as they had had the week off as the school sorted out some problems they had found with the buildings. Gabby wished she could send James to a better school, but being a single parents she couldn't afford it but she was happy with how he was going at school, he was getting really good marks and she couldn't have been happier with that. Antonio and his wife Laura had offered to help pay for James to go to school with his cousins Eva and Diego but James had made friends pretty quickly at his new school and Gabby didn't want to disrupt that, although she knew the offer was on the table if she changed her mind, she just didn't like relying on others for help, especially with money.

Coming back into the house later Friday night, Gabby watched as James moved to the DVD rack, picking out the movie he wanted to watch as she got dinner ready, planning on making him is favourite dish for dinner, lasagne. The smile that had graced his face when she mentioned it made her laugh, she was just lucky she had made it earlier in the week and it just needed to be heated up. "Hey ma …" James called out from the lounge, looking back at his mother who was standing at the counter look in, "Yeah honey." She was busy working away at the rest of their dinner when he had spoken, not bothering to look up at him, he continued, "…because we live here now and this is _home_ does that mean I get to see where you work? I want to meet the people you work with," He became bashful for a moment, a look on his face that she loved to see, "…I wanna see the fire trucks…" Gabby faltered for a moment, she wasn't sure if she was ready for everyone to know she had a ten-year-old son. She knew her son _loved _fire trucks, no doubt that is what he wanted to do when he was older but she just didn't know if she was ready for everyone to know about him yet.

It wasn't that she was ashamed of him, quite the opposite, she couldn't be prouder of the way he had grown up, being more mature by the day, she wasn't even ashamed that she had had him when she turned 18. There was no shame when she thought about her son, only grief. She didn't like to talk about the early years of her son's life, many of them thrilling and great and she would be thankful for them everyday, but it was the years after he had turned four that made things hard. It hurt too much to even think about still let alone talk about. If you'd asked her if she had moved on, she would say yes. She had moved on from James' father, she didn't really have a choice, she had a few boyfriends since then, nothing overly serious but enough to know that she was capable of being with someone else but it was the knowledge of what had happened still hurt her, the memory of that day that she didn't want to relive again and so she kept quiet, choosing to enjoy the idea that the new home they were going to make we going to belong to just them.

"Ma?" His voice caught her attention again, flashing a look up to greet him, a small smile forming on her lips. "Maybe one day honey. I know you do wanna see the trucks … maybe one day soon." She turned her back to him now, happy to hear an "Ok, thanks ma" in return, James seemingly happy with her reply. Leaning against the sink she sighed, this was going to be harder than she thought. She was becoming really close friends with Shay, she wanted to be able to spend time together, talk about everything under the sun, they already had been doing that but she felt a little funny, almost as if she had been lying to her, she wanted to be able to tell her but she wasn't ready for the questions. She had started to trust the guys at the house, more than she had been able to trust anyone before, she wasn't sure why, but she knew there would be no judgement from them, but she still wasn't ready.

As she continued with her dinner her phone beeped, causing James to look up as well as she reached for it, finding that Shay had messaged her again, "_Hey girl, come out to Molly's tonight! I think the usual bunch will be around; you know Severide, Herman, Otis and Casey…"_ Gaby laughed slightly, she could already tell that Shay slightly excited, there was no reason for her to list off names of the people who were going when she said 'the usual bunch' but she sighed, she would have to say no again. She wished she could tonight the answer would be 'no' for two reasons. One: She would be spending the night with her son for his belated birthday and two: she couldn't leave him alone at night while she went out and had fun, maybe if it had been planned early she could get Antonio to watch him for the night but she didn't feel comfortable just dumping James on his family.

She always knew that Antonio wouldn't say no to helping her out, especially if it meant Gabby would go out and enjoy herself, he encouraged it as much as possible but she couldn't, she had her son to think about. "Is that a boy texting you?" James' voice made Gabby jump shocked to find him standing by her side, trying to read the message as Gabby moved the phone away, "No it is not a _boy_." She laughed at the innocence of her son and the stick nose part of him. "But why not?" He whined, the child coming out of him slightly, "I think you need to go out ma, have some fun, really. I just want you to be happy." Before Gabby could speak, James wrapped his arms around his mother's waist, laying his head on her chest, her arms coming to hold him close. "Oh Baby, I am happy, you make me happy. I promise." She placed a kiss on the top of his head, completely perplexed at how mature he was and how much he really understood and cared about his mother.

Her baby really was growing up!

* * *

><p>Gabby and Shay sat at the side of the garage, watching as Casey put the Truck boys through drills, after complaining about how he was such a hard ass, he wanted to show them how much of a hard ass he could be. Casey was tough but fair, he was always the one who the truck members would go to if they needed something, he would always be there to listen and help, on and off the job, he was someone they all counted on, there was a respect for him that he had worked hard at achieving, being that he was so young. They just didn't like it when he put them through drills, although from the look on Casey's face Gabby could tell that he enjoyed watching them suffer. They laughed out loud again as Mouch groaned, struggling to keep up with the rest of the group as they carried heavy bags from one side of the garage to another and then back.<p>

"Oh, come on Casey, we get it, you like showing them who is boss, why don't you let them rest now…" Shay laughed, as she couldn't take watching them any longer, their pain rubbing off on her as they watched. Gabby giggled, "Yea leave them alone, you'll kill them before the next call!" The sideways glance and smirk that Matt gave to Gabby was enough to make her swoon and she is pretty sure that's what she actually did, only a little though, and only on the inside where no one could see. Ignoring Matt, Gabby looked over at Shay, studying her for a few minutes, trying to decide if she was able to tell her the little secret she was hiding or not. She wanted to, it just came down to if she was _able_ to. It had been two weeks since James' birthday and she and Shay were as thick as thieves, finishing each other's sentences, knowing exactly what the other was thinking, being able to tell the other anything, no matter what and so Gabby decided she needed to tell Shay.

Jumping from the table they were sitting on, Gabby looked at Shay smiling, "Wanna go for a ride?" She motioned her head towards the ambo, waiting to see what Shay would do, although she knew that Shay always loved to go for a drive. "Yeah! Let's go!" They always had the best conversations in the ambo, something about the drive freeing them up a little. As they moved towards the ambo, Gabby smiled at Matt, a wide smile that he mirrored easily, watching her intently as she wanted passed, wanting to say something to her but knowing it was not the place to start a conversation or the time, considering they were leaving. As Shay jumped in the drivers side she glanced back in the mirror, smiling to herself as she noticed Matt still watching Gabby, although Gabby not even realising it. She shook her head when Gabby spoke, "Let's go!" Laughing as they pulled away from the firehouse, not really knowing what sort of conversation would come from this drive.

It was quiet for a little while, Shay taking the same routes she knew that took them past some of the most beautiful places in Chicago. Each of the girls lost in their own thought for a while. Gabby trying to gain the courage to start this conversation while Shay wondered if she should question why Gabby never went out with them, part of her thinking it was something she had done, or maybe Gabby had a problem with her, a slight fear creeping over her before Shay decided she was going to ask. "Hey I was just wondering, I know that I invite you a lot to come out with all of us, but you never do. I can stop asking you if your not interested or something like that." She spoke shyly, hoping that she was wrong and that Gabby just was busy.

Gabby snapped her head up quickly to look at Shay, noticing something flash there she had never seen before, reaching out she touched Shay's hand, "Oh no, that's not it at all. I really do wish I could come out when you ask but it's hard for me." Gabby looked away, thinking about how she could continue the sentence, however Shay did it for her, "Gabby it's ok, really, we all just have such a great time together, we all want you to be part of that." Shay smiled again, her fear subsiding slowly. Gabby sighed, knowing that she was just going to have to come out and tell her; she turned to the girl driving she spoke, "The reason why I can't come out on short notice is because …" taking a deep breath in Gabby continued, "…I have a kid…" The words fell from her mouth, sounding like anything but hers; she just watched as Shay's smile grew.

"Ha ha, very funny!" She laughed, not really believing her as it was completely out of left field that was until she glanced back up to Gabby, noticing that she was just staring, seriously. "Wait … you're serious?" Gabby only nodded, not really sure if she liked the reaction she got. Shay turned back to the street, "huh…not really what I expected to come out of your mouth…how come you never just told me before?" It was an honest question as Shay tried to cover up the small amount of hurt in her voice, but Gabby heard it anyway, turning away she spoke, "It's hard for me to talk about my past, especially when James is concerned, it just … it just hurts too much." Gabby glanced back to Shay, hoping that maybe there would be some understanding in her eyes, instead she was greeted with a soft look of amazement, Shay's look had softened greatly, the understanding dawning on her that Gabby had been through Hell and had the right to have a few secrets.

"Well there you go… look I get it, I really do. You don't have to explain to me…" She reached over and placed her hand on Gabby's, "…however, I want to know more about James…" She raised her eyebrow, curiosity getting the better of her as she pulled over onto the street, wanting to be able to look at her friend in the eye when she spoke. Gabby laughed, "He is … he is my angel, I can't believe how great he is! Well he turned ten about two weeks ago …" Gabby glanced up again, waiting for the shocked reaction she was expecting, which she got. "Yea, yea I know, I was young when I had him but I couldn't imagine my life without him now." Gabby looked out the window, not wanting to see Shay's reaction, but Shay just giggled, "WOW! Tell me you have a photo!?" Nodding Gabby reached for her phone; opening up to the photo she loved the most. It was a picture of the two of them, their faces squished together, smiling. It had been taken the night of James' birthday two weeks ago, so it was very recent.

Handing the phone over to Shay, Shay smiled down at it, "Oh man! You guys are so adorable! He looks so much like you!" motioning to the phone, Shay asked silently if she could flick through looking at other photos of him or the two of them together. Handing it back Shay smiled, "I cannot believe you have a kid, a ten year old kid to be precise, but he looks amazing! I would love to meet him, I bet he is as sassy as you." Shay laughed again, putting the ambo into drive and heading back towards the firehouse. "Oh yea, he has his moments. I swear, if he weren't so kind hearted I would think he had an evil side to him. He can be so cheeky though!" Gabby laughed, thinking back to all the times he had been cheeky, never naughty just cheeky. "Well I hope I get to meet him…" Shay was trying to probe an invite from Gabby, really wanting to meet the kid now. They pulled up back into the garage, finding Casey sitting against the truck, having a laugh with Severide.

Gabby turned back to Shay as she parked, "I'm not ready for everyone to know just yet… but why don't you come over after shift. James has been asking about meeting some people from here." Jumping out of the ambo, Shay came around to meet her, her arms swinging around Gabby's shoulder, moving towards the boys, "I thought you would never ask! And my lips are sealed…" she whispered as they came to the boys side, Gabby and Matt sharing a smile that could not be replicated by anyone that did not hold feelings for the other.

**Thoughts? **


	3. Like A Teenager

**So I have changed from writing 'Casey' to 'Matt' just because it's easier, don't know why I didn't do it for the last chapter! A minor change I promise! :D**

**Thanks for all the love from the last chapter! You all have no idea how grateful I am! Jscat2 you did help me with this, trust me! :D Please keep up the love so I know you're all still reading! :D**

**Also so last night episode!? HOLY HELL! **** and the preview to next weeks like it sucks as well BUT I have seen the promo photos of Matt and Gabby hugging while talking to Herman in the street, so something must end up going well for them … I really hope so! **

**Chapter 3 – Like a Teenager**

Matt sat silently in his office, working through his paperwork as his mind drifted to Gabby, thinking about how he loved to see her eyes light up when she was happy, or the look on her face when she was confused, or the little tug of a smile that played on her lips when something amused her, or the sideways smile she gave him when she looked at her, winking every now and then. Sighing he dropped his pen, he _could_ not be thinking about her the way he was, she was with someone, the phone call he had overheard tell him that but there was something about her, he loved hearing her laugh or speak or just her presence was enough to light up his day, he just shouldn't be surprised that a woman like that was already with someone. Rubbing his hands over his face, Matt rose from his seat, he needed a break and some fresh air so he head out his office door stopping suddenly when he noticed Gabby resting on her bed.

It was late afternoon by the time they had all gotten back from their last call, each as tired as the other as they had been out all day so he wasn't shocked to find her asleep, she had looked tired earlier in the day, Matt putting it down to her being kept up all night. Groaning to himself, Matt's cheeks blushed slightly as he thought of Gabby in bed, but then jealously rose up at the thought of her being with someone else. This was going to be a very long shift if he kept thinking the way he was. He took a few steps closer to her, just watching her as she breathed deeply, looking so peaceful and calm that it brought a smile to his face. Suddenly reaching her side, Matt felt the need to reach out and touch her, a need that he pushed down but the need was still there, especially as she groaned a little in her sleep, her brow furrowing tightly as she dreamed.

Concerned Matt took a step closer, realising that her hands were clenched, one at her side, holing the sheet tightly the other squeezed closed by her face, a light gasp coming from her lips as she turned her head from side to side. By this time Matt had found himself by her bed, kneeling down to be closer to her, his hand reaching out, touching her cheek gently, trying not to wake her as he did not want to have to explain to her why he was watching her sleep. But as he touched her cheek, Gabby's hand reached out to hold his, closing tightly around his wrist, her head slowing it's movements and her breath evening out, a small smile coming to her lips. When she relaxing against his touch Matt pulled away, unsure of what had just happened then but needed that fresh air more than he realised, he rushed from the room, glad that Gabby hadn't opened her eyes.

Finding himself in the garage, Matt looked around locking eyes with Severide who nodded, understanding what his best friend needed without even a word. Meeting him half way, Severide and Matt headed towards the open garage door, sitting against the Squad truck to the far side of the spaces. "What's up man?" Severide spoke after a few minutes, although he had already guessed what his problems was, Matt talking about Gabby a few times already, and even when he hadn't spoken about her, Severide could see the glances that Matt threw her way. Groaning, Matt scrubbed his hands over his face, "That girl … I dunno man, there is something about her. Am I crazy!?" He turned to face Severide then, needing an answer to the question that had been filling his mind.

But Severide just looked over confused, not really sure why Matt would think he was crazy, "Why do you think you're crazy?" He watched as Matt shrugged, "I dunno. I mean, I know barely anything about this girl, she hasn't been her for more than two months. How can I have feelings for her? Oh yea and she is already seeing someone, so its not like I would even have a chance!" He was frustrated; frustrated with the situation, frustrated with himself, frustrated at how this one girl could make him feel like a teenager again. "I have tried to convince myself that it's nothing, that I am drawn to her because she is just a great person but I can't do that anymore …" he trailed off as he spoke, not really sure what else to day but what Severide said next threw him through a loop.

"Does this have anything to do with Hallie?" Matt's head shot up to look at Severide, shocked that he would even mention her name, but honestly he shouldn't have been surprised, Severide was there for him with everything he had gone through with her. "Nah man, this has nothing to do with her. God I can't even remember the last time I saw her! It feels like years!" Matt hadn't actually thought about Hallie in a long time. She had been the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, the girl that he had proposed to, the girl he wanted to start a family with but it hadn't worked out, little by little cracks started to show, their relationship had struggled, she was always working or they were always fighting. About work, about not spending time together and when she had said the words that had given him nightmares for months after she moved out, he knew they were done.

Severide pulled Matt from his thoughts suddenly, "Look man, I'm glad you have moved on her Hallie, I mean, I know she was a big part of your life and you both loved each other very much but you didn't work, you yourself told me that it wouldn't have worked if you'd married her and that has nothing to do with you or her, it was just that you were too different, wanting different things. But this girl… Gabby…she is the type of girl you want, the girl who makes you laugh and smile. The girl you hang out to see walk through the door because just being near her makes you smile." Severide looked up at Matt, waiting for approval in what he was saying because Matt knew he was right. Matt nodded, "Yea I know, its just hard knowing that she goes home to someone else and I don't even have a chance because of it…"

Severide leaned over, his arm going around Matt's shoulder, "Then you gotta be content with being in her life as a friend. Be there for her when she needs it, be the person she can turn to if she needs it. It's better to be in someone's life as a friend than not be in their life at all, right?" Matt laughed under his breath, his best friend was a womanizer who had slept through half of Chicago but there were things that Kelly Severide did know, and how Matt was feeling always seemed to be one of them. "Yea, yea I know. But the question now becomes, how do it do that? I mean every time I'm near her I get-" Matt didn't even have time to finish his sentence before Severide jumped in, "-like a teenager?" There was a knowing smirk from Matt, not really interested in trying to prove him wrong, because he wasn't and Matt knew that. "Yea, that's exactly how she makes me feel." He looked down again, knowing that it didn't matter, that she was with someone else and no matter what he did, they would never change, not that Matt would ever get in the middle of two people, he wanted Gabby to be happy, even though that meant she was happy with someone else.

There was a sudden noise coming from the double doors before Matt and Severide could hear the girls laughing about something he would never know about but he loved to hear her laugh, the smile that graced her face as she did, the one that he saw when they rounded the corner before reaching their rig, waiting for Shay to catch up, her arms going around Shay's shoulder in a loving hug, chatting quietly with each other, Matt catching on the end line of their conversation, "Nah I'm sorry I couldn't come over after last shift! But I'm free tonight! I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET HIM!" her voice rose happily as Gabby's smile matched Shay's, "I can't wait for you to meet him either!" There was so much happiness in Gabby's voice that it actually made Matt a little sad, Shay was meeting the boyfriend, Gabby was happy and she didn't need him. Sighing to himself, Matt rose from the bumper of the truck, not even bothering to say anything to Severide before he turned his back and walked away, need the silence and solitude of his office. Just as he left Gabby and Shay came to Severide's side, confused as they had seen Matt leave, "Is he ok?" Gabby asked concerned, she hadn't ever seen him look so down, yes she had glanced up at him as they walked towards them, she was worried about him Severide only smiled, "Yeah kid, don't worry, he'll be ok." And with that Gabby nodded, heading back towards the kitchen, deciding the rig didn't need to be stocked.

Gabby moved around the common room, food in her hands, listening to the conversation of those around her. They laughed and talked as they had done for years before hand, always wanting to include her in their conversations but she knew that there would be times, such as this one, that she would not be able to join in. It made her feel a little sad then, she wished she could just jump into conversations because she knew the story or knew of the time they were laughing about, but she was still an outsider, still getting her footing and even though everyone had been amazing, it was still only just coming to the end of her second month at the house so she was still looking in. Sighing to herself, she moved towards the bunkroom, she liked the quiet, enjoyed having these moments of quietness considering she had a very busy job and a ten year old at home who liked to make noise. As she headed towards her bunk she noticed that Matt's door was open and he was sitting at his desk, his head down, concentrating on what he was writing. Smiling to herself Gabby made her way over to him, enjoying their conversations enough to seek one out when she was feeling a little sad, he had a way of making her smile, she needed that in her life some days.

Knocking on the doorframe of his office, Gabby watched as his head snapped up, clearly not realising someone else was in the room with him. "Oh hey, you scared me!" He laughed as he dropped his pen on the table, smiling back at her when she smile at him, "Oh come on. I thought you were the fearless lieutenant who couldn't be scared!" She laughed again, moving from the door into the room, looking around at the little things he had placed around. With her arms crossed her eyes came rest on a drawing attacked to his wall, just above his bed. I was a drawing of a little girl playing in a park with someone standing at the side, a red fire truck sitting in the back ground. It was a young child's drawing, that much she could tell and clearly that of a little girl, but nothing more after that. She hadn't even realised that Matt had now stood behind her, curious at what she was looking at, forgetting that the picture was there. "Oh my niece drew that for me. We were out for a drive on her birthday and my sister told me they would be at the park so I went to see her. She was so excited about seeing me and the truck; she said it was her best birthday ever." He laughed, remembering the day, "God, I love that kid…" he spoke absentmindedly, standing a little closer to Gabby, not even realising how close or what he was doing to her being so close. It had been a while since she had physically human contact that didn't include that of her brother or young child.

Turning her head slightly to look back at Matt, Gabby realised how close he was but his hands were in his pockets, clearly not realising himself how close so she spoke again, "She clearly loves you as well. How old is she?" His smile grew wider as he thought about her words, yeah the little girl did love him, he just couldn't wait to be able to start a family of his own one-day. "She is 8, she drew this for me last year, and she always comes here to see it when my sister brings her, always wants to make sure that its still up. Gabby nodded again; she did know what that was like, James had been the same, always wanting to make sure it was his photo on her phone still. Matt moved away from Gabby now, she missed the warmth against her back, but realised that he had moved to sit on the side of the bed, motioning for her to sit as well. There was something in the way that she stood, the way she spoke and the way she looked that was telling him that she needed to talk or wanted to talk, either way he was going to do what Severide had said, he would be there for her no matter what. He watched as she sat slowly unsure at first but then relaxing when he spoke, "Are you ok? You seem like something is bothering you…" She laughed under her breath as he spoke, two months of knowing each other and he could already read her like an open book.

She nodded slowly, thinking if she should talk to him about her feelings or not, but he didn't give her much of a chance to think when he spoke again, "Hey you know you can tell me anything right?" He looked over to her now, noticing as Gabby relaxed ever so slightly, her shoulder hunching over a little, she laughed at herself, "God, I feel like a child whinging that people don't like me!" It was completely true but it got the point across and it also got the conversation started. Matt just stared at her confused, "What do you mean no one likes you? How could someone _not_ like you?" He moved a little closer to her now; very confused about that she was talking about. "Oh not like that, its just hard, I'm still the new girl and you've all known each other for so long, fitting in to conversations can be hard some times." She didn't look up at him, a little embarrassed that she was telling him how she was feeling. But he did not laugh or joke, Matt just touched her hand, a small shiver ran up Gabby's arm when he did, although she supressed it.

"Are they guys not including you?" She laughed again at herself, she really did sound like a child speaking to a teacher or their parents. "Oh no, nothing like that, just all the stories and tales everyone tell, I'm still on the outside so I can't just jump in randomly, ya know?" She looked down at Matt's hand on hers, unsure of how she should feel about it, unsure of how she act now that it was there but it was gone moments later, a sudden feeling of cold now coming to where his hand was. "Oh Gabby, don't worry, the guys don't mind if you just sit down and listen and trust me, you will be laughing at your own stories with them soon enough." He leaned in to bump her shoulder with his, gaining another laugh and a smile from Gabby, "Yea I know, I do know. The guys are great; I mean they really have been. I love it here." She looked around his office, hoping he would get the idea that she really did love being at 51. He nodded understandingly, "Yea I can see the guys love you too. You're fitting in really well here. You're a great PIC and pretty awesome too." Matt looked a little embarrassed for a moment, Gabby noticing what he had said but chose to move on from it.

She reached out and touched his hand, feeling the warmth that it held, "Thank you Matt. I really appreciate the chat, I don't always have someone to talk to a home so I'm glad I have you or Shay to talk to." And with that she was gone, leaving him sitting on the bed, missing her touch and confused about her words. Maybe Severide was right, if he was there for her who knows what could happen between them.

* * *

><p>Matt had been sitting at the end of the table, his usual spot, for most of the evening, staring down at the paper in front of him, thinking about his conversation with Gabby and with Severide, he just didn't know what to think. He shouldn't be thinking about Gabby the way he was, because she was with someone already but he couldn't help it. Maybe Severide was right, maybe just being in her life was what he needed, because at least then he could say that he was close to her, near enough to her to still feel the amazing effects she had on him. Shay must have noticed that he hadn't really turned the page to the paper he was reading because she smiled and touched his shoulder, motioning for him to follow her, which he did, rising from his seat slowly, earning brief glances from the rest of the team and a small smile from Gabby as she looked up from the kitchen where she was cooking.<p>

Matt and Shay found themselves standing in the back room of the firehouse, away from prying eyes and ears but enough for it not to look suspicious if someone came down. Matt's brow furrowed confused as to why Shay had called him out of the common room but the look on her face told him that she knew something. "So tell me about you and Dawson …" Her words shocked him, he had known Shay a long time but wasn't expecting her to be so straightforward with her question. He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck, an action he would do when he was nervous, he sighed, "Nothing is going on, there is no 'me and Dawson'…she is with someone anyway." His last words slipped slowly from his mouth as he noticed the realisation on Shay's face, it was more than a crush for Matt. Shay laughed, "Matt, she's not seeing someone, I don't know where you got that idea from …"

Matt looked over confused, he had heard the conversation on the phone, he had heard the words she had said, so how could Shay tell him that she wasn't seeing someone. "Shay I heard her on the phone, she said '_I love you too baby, I miss you too, I'll see you at home'_. I heard it all myself." He sighed again and leaned up against the wall, between Shay and Severide, he didn't know how long it would stay a secret that he had feelings for Gabby. Shay just placed her hand on his chest and smiled, "Trust me Casey, Gabby Dawson is _not_ seeing anyone." And with that she walked away, leaving Matt confused as hell.

**Love? **


	4. Fun and Games

**I can't believe all the love I got fro the last chapter! You guys are amazing! :D Please keep it up coz it makes me write more!**

**So in honour of me finishing my uni placement on Friday, here is the new chapter. I am hoping to get the next ones out in good time but I have broken my hand today at hockey (first two broken bones in 24 years and both from ice hockey… its shit) so it might be harder for me write for a little while but ill get them out asap!**

**Enjoy! :D**

**Chapter 4 – Fun and Games**

By the end of shift Gabby was exhausted, all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for hours. She was lucky though, James was at school for the rest of the day but she had promised she would pick him up after, something he was over the moon about. Pulling away from the firehouse, Gabby noticed Matt standing by his truck, just watching her leave, sending her off with a wave and a smile, something behind the smile made her a little confused, it was a little sad, but held so much warmth. Shaking her head, Gabby headed home, she really needed to get away from the firehouse and clear her head.

As she arrived home, Gabby showered and changed before lying down on her bed and sighing. She was happy to be back in Chicago, this was her home and she wasn't going to go anywhere. She had a great job, a great friendship starting with Shay and James was loving his school and his friends, she was happy. Closing her eyes, Gabby was able to get a few hours of rest before starting on some of the housework before heading out to pick James up from school.

* * *

><p>"Hey baby, guess what…" Gabby looked over to James as he sat quietly in the front seat, smiling as he turned to her, "How would you like it if you met one of my work friends tonight?" Gabby had spent the day cleaning the house knowing that Shay would be coming over that night, wanting it to look at least presentable for her, the had headed out to pick up her son from school. A complete look of happiness came over his face, "Really ma? Is it a boy?" He turned to face his mum, his face looking like the young innocent child that he should have been, but his words were much more mature which shocked Gabby. "What is it with you and me meet a boy!? And no it's not. Her name is Leslie and she is my partner." Gabby couldn't understand his fascination with her meeting a guy but she chose to ignore it as much as possible, wanting him to be excited to be meeting her friend. As she pulled up outside their home, she noticed his face fall a little, although not much, "Oh, ok cool. That will be fun!" He really was excited about meeting his mum friend; he just wanted her to meet someone that made her happy like he saw all the other kids mum's happy.<p>

"Well good then because she is coming over for pizza and a movie." She knew that would make him excited, which it did, she watched as he jumped out of the car, desperate to get in the house. He had never met his mum's friends before and now that she had told him that they were home, he loved meeting new people because it meant that it made it so much harder for his mum to leave, meaning they wouldn't be leaving again. He really did love it in Chicago. "Come on mum! I wanna clean my room … do you think I can show her my room?" His question was shy suddenly realising that maybe he wasn't allowed or that Leslie wouldn't want to see his bedroom but his mother just smiled, "I'm sure she would love to see it!" She laughed as he bounded inside, dropping his school bag on the floor, Gabby yelling after him, "Hey! Homework first mister, you know the rules. And if it's not done by the time Leslie comes over, you won't be watching a movie with us." Those were the secret words that caused him to come speeding back into the lounge, picking up his bag and then heading back to his room, Gabby smirking to herself as she watched hi, she knew her son all too well.

It was only a few hours later that there was a knock at the door and James jumped, he had finished his homework and started playing on his PS3 trying to kill time while waiting for Shay. Gabby smiled at her son, shocked at how excited he was to meet one of her friends, only reiterating the idea that maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to have him come by the house one day soon. As she opened the door, Shay greeted her on the other side, smiling widely, "Hey!" She reached over and placed her arms around Gabby's shoulders, laughing when Gabby hugged her back. "Come in, come in!" Gabby motioned for Shay to come inside, happy when Shay's smile grew wider when she looked around, "This place is great! I can't believe you live here!" It was true, she had no idea how she had been able to actually afford this place but she had. It was a town house but larger than the ones most people owned. There was room enough for a family of four with a room in the basement that was currently being unused, so if there was a family in there, five would have fit nicely, roomy enough for all.

"Thanks, as soon as we saw it I loved it. I don't even know how I was able to get it but I did and we have made this our home." She motioned for Shay to make her way further inside, pointing towards the lounge room where she knew that James was. "Well what do we have here?" Shay's voice rang out as Gabby came up behind her, smiling when she noticed that James sat against the couch, looking very nervous, dressed in dark pants and a nice shirt. Gabby smiled confused, she had no idea why her son had dressed up, he sure wasn't wearing those clothes moments before she had opened the door. Shaking her head Gabby spoke, "Shay this is my son James …James this Leslie Shay." James stood suddenly, a smile coming to his face as he said his hello, a little awkward and unsure about what to do or say. But that's when Shay saw it, the TV was paused on a game that she recognised, "Wow, you're playing Lego Batman? Wanna play two-player?" James face brightened up so much that he couldn't speak, just nodded and reached for the control, "Here, you can play as mum's character … she's not very good…" he whispered after, earning a laugh from Shay and a flick of the ear from his mother as she walked pasted, heading towards the kitchen to get drinks. "Be nice kiddo!" She called out over her shoulder, watching as Shay took a seat next to him on the couch, their game starting moments later.

Gabby sat at the side of the couch watching the two interact, she loved watching James interact with new people, now completely content with the thought of Shay meeting him, she was nervous to begin with but so very glad that she had chosen to tell her. Smiling she looked at the time, "Hey guys, its after six, want to order the pizzas? It might take a while for them to get here if we have them delivered." She watched as Shay just nodded, too focused on the game she was playing but James spoke, "You could go and get them, me and Shay are fine here on our own…" Gabby raised her eyebrow at him, he really did have sass in him. "Well mister, I think you should ask Shay if she is happy to stay here with you while I go out, she may not want to." Gabby really didn't want put Shay on the spot, expecting her to look after a kid she had only just met an hour and a half ago but Shay paused the game, "Go, don't worry, we are all good. I'm kicking this kids butt!" She laughed menacingly as she looked over at Gabby, her smile becoming more serious, "Really, we will be fine, if it's easier than waiting for food go. We won't break too much while you're gone." She laughed again looking over at James who had a matching smile. "Alright fine! I'll be back in 20 minutes! Don't burn down my house!" She laughed as she headed out the door, shaking her head as she passed Shay who had offered her money, this was her treat tonight.

And she was right, 20 minutes later, Gabby headed back into the house, pizza and drinks in hand only to find the room quiet with the TV off, calling out she got no reply from Shay or James and part of that worried her, not because she thought something had happened to the but she thought maybe something had happened by them. Heading further into the house she found Shay standing next to the set table, James coming back with glasses that he placed gently on the table, "We thought it would be nice to sit at the table for dinner mum. I know its only pizza but still." He looked a little sheepish, not really sure what his mother's reaction would be but when she smile grew, his did as well. "You know what I think that's a great idea!" She placed the boxes on the table slowly making sure she didn't drop anything, watching as Shay and James took their seats at the table.

Throughout dinner they chatted, Shay asking James about school and the things he liked to do. James asking Shay is she liked working with his mum and the best part about being a paramedic, although he had always asked his mother than question he wanted to know if he would get a different answer. By the time the pizza had been eaten, they had dumped the idea of watching a movie, deciding on playing cards instead as it allowed them to talk more, they had gotten onto the subject of sport, Shay curious is James played anything. His initial reply was no however he continued, shocking his mother because he had never mentioned it before. "I wanna play ice hockey. Mum taught me how to skate when I was younger but some of the kids at school play and I want to play as well." Gabby looked up shocked; surprised that he had mentioned it to them both before mentioning it to her. She reached over and touched his head, "Well baby, we can look into it if you want, but you haven't skated in a while, we might have a look at getting you some classes first to make sure you'll be alright. But we can have a look on Monday if you want."

James' face lit up, he was so glad his mother had said yes, she hadn't let him play team sports, just another example of her intent to not leave Chicago. Shay spoke before James could, "Casey knows how to skate and play, he played for years as a kid and into his teenage years, why don't you ask him to teach you?" Her comment was off hand, forgetting that Gabby wasn't ready for the rest of the house to know abut James just yet, realisation dawning on her face when Gabby looked at her. "Who is Casey?" James spoke first, genuinely curious as to whom this person was, and Gabby spoke softly, "He is one of the lieutenants at the fire house" She really didn't want to tell James who Matt was, only because now James would get attached to the idea of Matt teaching him, and she wasn't wrong. "Oh cool! Can you ask mum … please!" He was pleading with her now, but Gabby couldn't bring herself to agree, "I'll see honey alright, he might be too busy so we will see about getting you in to a class near here as well." Gabby rose from her seat, reaching for the plates before heading towards the kitchen, James seemingly happy with the idea of getting into a class. Shay followed Gabby into the kitchen, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned it, I did even think…" Gabby turned back to Shay, a smile on her lips. "Oh don't worry about, its fine really, I was just shocked that he said he wanted to play, he has never mentioned it before."

Shay shrugged, she wished there was something she could say to Gabby to get her to understand that it was ok to tell the house no one was going to judge her or say anything to her about it. Sometimes its good to have the house know what is going on in your life so if sometime happens you have someone to fall back on. There must have been a look on Shay's face because Gabby stood straight, "Spit it out Shay." She wasn't angry, just wanted to make sure that Shay knew she could tell something was going on inside her head. Shay laughed to herself, surprised at how easy it was Gabby to see what was going on in her mind. "Fine. Personally I think you should tell the house, or at least Chief or Casey. I mean what if something happens and you have to leave or something happens to you and James has to be picked up or told. I'm just thinking for you honey, I want to make sure he is covered as well." Shay glanced back towards the lounge where James was sitting quietly, playing his game again, no doubt waiting for Shay to maybe come back and play. Gabby shook her head, she understood what Shay was saying, she just couldn't bring herself to do it, "I know, alright, I know. I just don't want them to look at me like some tramp. God Shay, I was seventeen when I found out I was pregnant. What would Casey say? What would he think?" And there was the kicker; she was worried about Casey and what he would think of her.

Shay raised her eyebrow at Gabby, a smirk finding her lips, "You have a thing for our lieutenant don't you?" Her voice rose slightly, Gabby jumping to cover her mouth, making sure that James hadn't heard, but some how she knew he had, he always was able to hear things he shouldn't. "Shh! James is already at me for finding a 'boy'. He has asked me twice already about a boy, when you message me." She laughed and shook her head, there was no hearing the end of this now that Gabby realised that didn't actually deny what Shay had asked. "Oh my God, you do have a thing for him!" The look on Gabby's face was enough to tell Shay everything and when she rubbed her hands over her face Shay laughed, "Gabby, honey, there isn't anything wrong with having feelings for someone, you know that right?" Something about Gabby's body language told her something was off, something that Gabby wasn't saying.

Taking a step forward, Shay wrapped her arm around Gabby's shoulder, bringing her closer, "Honey, listen to me. Matthew Casey is an amazing guy who would do anything for his family, we are his family, the firehouse is his family. He doesn't care about a person's past or anything like that, if you need anything from him, he is there for you. Trust me, tell him, he might be shocked because you are one hot mama but he won't judge you. I promise." With that Shay wrapped Gabby in a hug, feeling that she needed a hug, which Gabby gladly returned, staying silent but appreciating the friendship. As the pulled away from each other Gabby noticed James standing in the doorway now, his face lit up, clearly hearing the words Shay had said. "Mum! You told me there was no boy! Who is he?" He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, mimicking the way Gabby would stand when she was becoming defiant, something Shay had picked up on very early on when working with her. "He is no one Mister, now you better go and play your game or else it's bed time…" She glanced at the clock on the wall, noticing it was almost 10pm and it was past his bedtime. "…Actually, go and get your pjs on and say good night, it's way past your bedtime and we are going out with Uncle Antonio tomorrow morning so you have to be up early.

Gabby gave him the same stance he had just given her, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyebrow raised, clearly something he understood because the young boy walked over to Shay, gave her hug and a kiss on the cheek goodnight, then his mother before walking to his room, silently pouting as he went. "I'll be there in a minute to say goodnight!" She called after him, turning to Shay, "You don't have to go; I just need him in bed early for tomorrow." But Shay shook her head, "Nah its ok, I'll let you get some sleep, it was a long shift and I think if I sit down I will fall asleep." She leaned over and gave Gabby a hug, thanking her for the great evening and then saying good night before heading out the door. Gabby walked down the hall to find James already sitting in bed, the light on dim as he waited for her. "Now you mister…" She came to his side and pulled the covers back letting him lay down before pulling them back up, "…you are going to tell me what this fascination with me meeting someone is… I thought we discussed this already."

James just shrugged under the covers, turning away from his mum he spoke, "I see so many mums and dads with someone they love and I see how happy they are, I just want that for you mum. As yuck as it would be to see, I want to see you kiss someone hello or give them a hug, I want you to love someone other than me mum." He turned to his mum now, watching as she looked down at him, shocked. "Baby, I don't need to love anyone else but you." But he turned his whole body away from her this time, "Maybe but you need someone else to love you too." And with that he flicked off the light next to his bed and closed his eyes, hearing his mother sigh, place a kiss on his head and then move from the room, shutting the door quietly.

Gabby sat quietly on the couch for a few minutes, nursing the red wine in her hand as she mulled over the words that had come from James' mouth. He sounded and looked so upset with his mum, although she couldn't tell why exactly, she figured that he was beginning to miss having a father around but there was no way she could bring someone into his life, not with the chance that he would leave or in Matt's case get killed during a call. She couldn't do that to her son; he couldn't lose another person who was close to him. She could move on, she would be fine in the end because she had to be strong for her son, but she couldn't let someone come in, get close to him and then hurt him. Groaning Gabby downed the rest of her drink, she really didn't want to think about this anymore, she couldn't let herself think about anyone but her son, not even Matt, who she had undoubtedly begun to have feelings for. She hated feeling the way she was, hated feeling like a teenager with a crush but she was and she had to find a way around it.

It didn't help that as she glanced down at her phone she noticed a missed called from Matt and a voicemail message waiting for her. Filling her glass once more she gained enough courage to listen to it. Realising that it had been left when Shay was still around, Gabby must have not have even heard it ring. Bringing it to her ear, she took a deep breath and listened, "_Hey Gabby, I just wanted to check in and see how you were …" _There was a slight pause, Matt thinking about what to say next, "…_So yeah, just wanted to check in. Give me a call if you need anything or just need to chat …so yeah … I guess I'll see you at work."_ As the line went dead Gabby smiled, he sounded so cute on the phone, he sounded so nervous as well, she just didn't understand why. Finishing the last of her wine, Gabby headed to her room, intent on getting some sleep but she was plagued with dreams of Matt Casey all night long.

**And love? :D **


	5. I Hate You

**You guys! The love I am getting for this fic is amazing! Thank you SO much, please keep it up! First off, sorry this has taken longer than what I wanted, a broken hand and a new tattoo on the other has made it hard to write… :I. And secondly, I am actually gutted about that finally! I mean holy shit! **** Honestly though, I can see them coming back together after the break, something will happen and they will come back … I really hope! **

**Anyway enjoy this chapter! :D**

**Chapter 5 – I Hate You **

She had finally done it, she had agreed to head to Molly's wish Shay and the other's from the firehouse, agreeing that it was time for her to head out for a night, thankful that her sister in law was able to look after James for the night, although he was more than happy to stay there if it meant he was able to spend time with his cousins. That was one thing she was glad about, James didn't mind if he had to stay at Aunt and Uncles house for the night. Most of the time he understood that it was because she had to work and that she working to provide for him, but when she mentioned that she was thinking about going out for the night with some friends he had jumped at the occasion, almost packing his bag in seconds, happy that she was finally heading out to have some fun.

Gabby stood in her bedroom, looking back at herself in the mirror, taking in the black jeans she wore, red top that hugged her nicely, even showed off a little cleavage and the boots she wore gave her an extra three inches on her already small height. To say she was nervous was an understatement; this will be the first time she had gone out in about five years, too concerned about James to bother looking after herself. As she took in her make up and hair she sighed when she heard a shot knock at the front door, walking from her bedroom, Gabby made sure that James bedroom was closed and there was no sign of a small child living in the house. Shay had said that she and Severide would be picking her up so she wanted to make sure he didn't pick up on the kids things. She glance at the pictures around the house as she went, able to simply play him off as her nephew should he ask.

Taking a deep breath Gabby opened the door, finding Shay staying behind it, a smile growing on her face when she saw Gabby. "Oh god! You look hot!" Gabby stepped back to let Shay inside, not surprised then Severide followed behind her, taking in his clothes as he did to her. "Wow, Dawson, nice place!" He looked around the house as he walked towards the lounge, taking a seat when she motioned for him to. "Thanks, I like it…" It was an off handed remark, something to cover her embarrassment as it was also the first time she had someone in her house that wasn't Shay. Just as Gabby headed to close the door, she heard someone clear their throat and as she looked up, she noticed Matt standing in her doorway. "Hey…" His voice was soft, noticing her shock at him standing there. "Hey what are you doing here?" She couldn't help the surprise sound that came from her lips, honestly not expecting him to be there, but glad she had cleaned up before they arrived. "Ah…Shay offered a lift in tonight as I was with Severide most of the day. I hope it's ok that I'm here."

That's when she realised that she was still standing in the doorway, Matt waiting outside to be let in, "Oh yea of course! Sorry I just wasn't expecting to see you here. Come in…" She moved aside to let Matt in, taking in his clothes as he came. He wore a pair of dark jeans, light shirt that was not tucked in, a jacket slung over his shoulder. She blinked a few times, trying to get her thoughts in order as she spoke, "You guys wanna drink? I just need to grab a few things before we head out." She moved towards the kitchen, followed closely by Matt, "I'll give you a hand, I know these two won't say no to alcohol." He through a smirk over his shoulder at the others who looked up at him with fake shock, smirking back at him because they both knew he was loving being so close to Gabby.

"Thanks, really…" She moved further towards the kitchen, glad she couldn't look back at Matt because she was already imagining what it would be like to remove those clothes from him, he cleaned up so very well. Scolding herself, she leaned over to the fridge, pulling out four beers as she did, handing one to Matt before popping the top off the other three. There was silence between them for a few seconds, each just trying to work out what to say but Matt spoke first, "You look amazing Gabby..." Again his voice was low, embarrassment seeping into his words, watching as she dropped her head, a slight red tinge coming to her cheeks. "Thanks Matt, you clean up pretty well yourself." Again she scolded herself, she can't be saying things like that to him because she didn't want him to be getting the wrong idea, but how he made her feel was making her say things she never thought she'd say.

Matt smirked while bringing the bottle to his lips, his eyes flashing to the board behind him, his smile. "Is that the nephew you were telling me about?" He tipped his bottle towards the photos, Gabby turning on her heel to look at which one he was motioning to, freaking out a little when she noticed it was a photo from James' second birthday but before she could speak Shay bounced into the room. "Gabby come on! Let's get your hot ass over to Molly's for a real drink!" She took the bottles from both Gabby and Matt before placing them down on the counter, pushing them towards the door, her hand smacking Gabby on the behind lightly. "Shay!" She laughed out loud, finding the ability to be completely carefree for the first time in a long time overwhelmingly amazing. Matt and Gabby jumped in the back of Severide's car, finding it only slightly squishy as they sat against each other, pressed up against the gym bag on the back seats. "Sorry guys forgot that was there." He glanced over the back seat, smirking when Gabby and Matt were trying to get comfortable against each other. Both nodding, "It's fine, it's your car after all." And with that the short drive to Molly's began.

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><p>The girls sat against the bar, laughing and enjoying themselves well into the night. Matt and Severide had gone off with the boys at the other end of the bar, playing pool and having a joke, being as carefree as possible considering their jobs. "Come on man, you're up!" Severide laughed as Matt looked over at where Gabby was sitting, now surrounded by some guys they didn't know. He narrowed his eyes as she brought her drink to her lips, laughing deeply at something one of them had said, not even bothered when he slipped his arm around Gabby's shoulder, Shay laughing as well, throwing a quick glance in Matt's direction, her smile faltering slightly when he saw the look of complete contempt in his eyes. Deciding it was time to raise the stakes with Matt and Gabby, knowing that the more angry and jealous he got the more chance there was of him making a move. Shay leaned over and whispered something in the guy's ear, watching as he smiled back, tightening his grip on Gabby's shoulder.<p>

Gabby hadn't even noticed the encounter; she just took another swig on her beer, feeling the lovely effects it was having on her for the one night she could just have fun. Shay laughed again and slipped from her seat, making her way over to the boys who were still playing pool, not even noticing the interaction between Gabby and the guy. As she came to Kelly's side, he slipped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close and leaning down to speak in her ear, "You know you are playing fire right … he is going to explode." Clearly Severide had noticed Matt's anger towards the scene in front of them but hadn't said anything, knowing the other lieutenant would be pissed if it were spoken about in front of the group. Shay just smiled and nodded, "Yeah and I'm hoping that means he will grow a pair and make a move." She looked back at the bar, noticing Herman and Otis serving behind busily, not even noticing Gabby walking off with the guy.

Shay's eyebrows furrowed together, she hadn't thought Gabby would have actually gone off with the guy but she thought then that Gabby had been slightly drunk and may have not been thinking straight, Shay had just whispered to him that she was single. Shay and Severide straightened up; both suddenly concerned for Gabby, deciding that they should go and see how she is, find her and make sure she was ok. Sharing a glance with Matt, the three of them moved from the pool table, splitting up and heading in different direction. Within in a few minutes, they found themselves back by the bar, still unsure of where Gabby was but her phone, jacket and bag were still sitting behind the bar with Herman, telling them she couldn't have gotten far. They knew she was an adult and that she was capable of making her own decisions, however they also knew she wasn't sober and they felt that something was wrong, each of them knowing to trust their feelings as they have had to hone them with the jobs they had.

Heading out the front door, Shay, Matt and Severide headed left, realising that right would get them nowhere, so they walked a few blocks, looking around the street for any signs of the two. It wasn't until they walked passed a small alleyway that Matt noticed something was off. He stopped to focus on the two people in the alley and he froze. Gabby was being pushed against the wall not far from the entrance to the alley, she was kissing the man who was holding her there and Matt saw green, he become instantly jealous at the sight of her with someone else but that jealously turned to white fury as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. Gabby stopped kissing him, turning her head to look down at the fact that he had pulled her leg up to his waist, pushing himself harder against her, her hands slipped from around his neck to his chest trying to push him away.

Matt's blood rushed through his body then, watching as Gabby struggled to get away the from the guy, trying to push him away, begging him to let her go but all he did was push against her harder, bringing her hand above her head. Before he could think Matt and Severide had headed straight for the guy, pushing him roughly from Gabby's body as she fell to the ground, Shay there to pick her up, making sure she was ok, but all she did was nod, holding onto the Shay tightly. Matt was able to lay a few punches into the guy, hitting him twice in the stomach and once on the cheek before Gabby called out for him to stop, that's when he turned to look at her, taking in her shaking body, the look in her eyes begging him to stop what he was doing and so he did. Matt stood quickly before taking Gabby in his arms, pulling her close to him as Severide lifted the guy from the ground. "Get the Hell out of here before we put you in hospital!" he tell to the guy watching as he thought for a moment, before fixing his shirt and walking away, "Bitch" slipping from his mouth as he walked passed Gabby.

Matt just pulled her close as he did, wanting to keep her as far away from the guy as possible, turning to her when they were clear of him. "Are you alright?" he looked down at her, thankful that her clothes were still in tact and that she didn't seem to have any injuries, glad that they had found her before it went too far. She nodded her head, looking anywhere but at him, " Yeah, I'm alright. Really… thank you all for being here…" She looked up at Matt now, the shakes in her body subsiding as she relaxed, sobering up suddenly. Kelly and Shay came to her side, both giving her a hug before offering to take her home, but something in her suddenly snapped, "No, lets go back inside, I think I want to stay out more…" She looked over at Shay, silently telling her that she really was ok and that she just wanted to forget it all. Slowly Shay nodded, knowing that she would have to make sure Gabby really was ok over the next few days, they headed back inside, Matt staying protectively close to her from that moment on.

It was after 3am when Molly's was close to empty, leaving just Otis, Herman, Kelly, Shay, Matt, Gabby and a few others inside. The group from 51 laughing together as Shay and Gabby told jokes, trying to easy the tension that come over them after finding Gabby. She seemed to be ok however they would be keeping a very close eye on her over the coming days. The boys laughed as Shay, realising that she was beyond drunk and that it was time to go home, Kelly almost having to carry her out because she didn't want to leave, Gabby laughing and walking slowly behind her, after getting a few more drinks into her she had become a lot more relaxed, a lot more drunk as well, still staying ever so close to Matt though, not wanting to venture too far from him as she was enjoy the warmth he was giving off. On the ride back to Kelly and Shay's Gabby had fallen asleep against Matt, the events of the night taking their toll on her finally, Matt smiled at her, thankful that she was getting some rest before he got her back to her house.

"You guys go inside, I'll take her home…" Matt spoke to Kelly, knowing Shay was pretty much passed out in his arms, "Yeah ok man. Look after her ok." He nodded to Matt as he headed inside, glancing back and noticed as Matt had opened the back door, crouching down to be at her level. "Gabby, wake up…" he ran his hand over her cheek, hoping not to frightened her too much, but as her eyes opened, the hooded look of alcohol looking back at him, a sleep smile coming to her lips, "Chris…I missed you …" Her hand reached out to touch his face as Matt's eyes fluttered against her touch when he knew it shouldn't. _Who ever Chris was, he was clearly on her mind_. He moved her hand from his cheek, not being able to control the feeling he was getting when she touched him. "Come on Gabby, let's get you home." He pulled her from the car, helping her over to his car before pulling her inside. Heading off towards Gabby's house. There was silent as they drove, Matt not sure what to say to her, being that she was drunk and Gabby to drunk and tired to make a complete sentence.

Pulling up outside Gabby's house, Matt headed to her side of the car, helping her out and up to the front door, watching as she fumbled with the keys, finally getting it inside the lock before pushing the door open, dropping her bag, jacket and keys inside. "Come on Gabby's it's bed time." He spoke quietly, watching as she looked towards the bedroom, nodding her head before moving there. She stopped suddenly and looked back at Matt, her eyes narrowing tightly. "I hate you, you know that." Shocked came across Matt's face when she spoke her words, so very confused as to why she would say that but then she continued, "You left me Chris you left me!" Her voice rose then, blind anger coming over her as she looked at Matt, seeing the man she was thinking she was talking about. "I loved you so much and you left me … just get out!" She turned away from the man standing in front of her, walking towards her room and slamming the door.

Matt stood shocked for a few minutes, thinking about how much pain she must have been in to think that she was seeing an old boyfriend instead of him. He left quietly; making sure the front door was closed before heading home. Needing to get some rest because the whole night had been so very confusing.

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><p>Matt woke slowly the next morning, his mind flicking suddenly to the events of last night, Gabby being pushed further than she wanted, Gabby sitting so close to him, always making sure she was able to touch him, drinking too much and then talking to him like he was her old boyfriend. He rubbed his face, he thought about going to see her, thought about going to make sure she was ok and see if he could talk about the night before but he also knew that it would probably be too hard for her, if it takes her to be drunk to speak about the ex she probably wouldn't want to talk to him. Glancing at the clock, he noticed that it was after 10, groaning he rose, reaching for his phone and finding a text message from Kelly.<p>

"_How was your night lover boy?"_ Matt groaned again, he would have to speak to Kelly about last night, he just needed to tell _someone_ or else his mind was going to explode. Sending a message back to Kelly he asked if he could come over, really needing his best friend. Showering and waiting for Kelly to head over Matt sat impatiently, waiting for that knock on the door and when it came he swung the door open quickly, "Thanks for coming man-" Matt stopped suddenly, shocked to see Gabby standing on the other side of the door. "Hey, what are you doing here?" He stepped aside and let her in, taking in her comfy looking jeans and sweat top. She stepped in further into his apartment, taking in everything that made it his before she turned to him.

"I'm sorry I messaged Shay to get your address, I ah …" She looked very embarrassed to be there, in his home, uninvited. "…I just wanted to apologise for last night. You helped me out and I repay you by abusing you when you took me home." The look that flitted across Matt's face showed Gabby that he was surprised that she remembered what had happened. "Yea I remember what I said to you and I am really sorry." She took a seat on the couch, waiting for him to speak or even to move, but it took a moment for him to snap out of his thoughts, coming to sit by her side. "It's ok, you did have a bit to drink ya know…" She smiled up at him as he tried to ease her tension, "Yea I know, I guess after what happened, I just needed to relax a bit but really Matt, I want to thank you so much for coming to look for me, I mean even if you hadn't and he didn't force me, I would have still regretted it in the morning."

She looked away from him, shame crossing her face, "I'm not like that, I don't just sleep with anyone I find…" her words were soft, trying to get him to understand that she doesn't usually act like she did last night. "Hey…" he touched her hand, causing her to look up at him, "… never for one second have I thought that you were." She smiled again, thankful that he was being so understanding, the smile giving him enough courage to broach the subject, "So Chris?" With their hands still touching each other's Gabby signed, looking away again, "He was my boyfriend, we were together for a while and he… he left. That's all." Her short words told him that she didn't want to speak about it anymore, realising that whatever had happened was still hurting her deep down, so Matt let his hand fall from hers and wrap around her shoulder, bringing her close, "It's ok, really you don't have to say anything you don't want to." She rested her head against his shoulder as he spoke, sighing deeply before pulling away. "Thank you Matt. God I feel like you're always the shoulder that I lean on … I hope you don't think that's all I see you as …you are more than that to me…" She looked up at him again, her eyes flickering from his eyes to his lips and then back up again.

Matt felt the same electricity running through his body as she had been giving off, noticing the small glance to his lips, mimicking his glance to hers. Reaching up he placed his hand gently on her cheek, resting it there for a moment before leaning in slowly, "…you mean more to me than that as well…" Just as he leaned in towards her, his lips inches from hers, there was a knock at the door, causing them both to jump and Gabby to pull away, rising from the couch, "I should go, you have company…" and with that Gabby headed for the door, swinging it open to find Kelly standing on the other side, a confused look on his face before she slipped out, not even bothering to glance back at Matt.

"Do I want to know?" Kelly walked into the apartment, closing the door behind him, finding Matt still sitting on the couch, in the same position he had been when Gabby had up and left. He groaned and rubbed his hand over his face. "She came over to thank me for last night and to apologise. When I brought her home, she called me 'Chris' and then she said, and I quote, 'I hate you, you know that. You left me Chris you left me. I loved you so much and you left me." So she came here to apologise and told me that Chris was her boyfriend, they had been together for a while and he left her and so what do I do?" He stopped angrily from the couch, "I tried to kiss her!" Kelly stood silently as he friend spoke, shocked at what Matt had just said, "You tried to kiss her?" His eyebrow rose as Matt turned back around, "Yeah I did, I mean she didn't pull away but how stupid could I be, she had just told me about her broken heart and I tired to kiss her. God, I really screwed this up!"

Matt felt like screaming, he was so angry with himself for what he had done, angry with Gabby for making him feel that way but he was also angry with this Chris guy, how could someone break her heart? She was too amazing for that. Kelly just stood silently in the lounge, watching his friend pace back and forward, thinking that it was only a matter of time before Matt really couldn't hide his feelings anymore.

* * *

><p>The next few days had been quiet for Gabby, she had spent time with James, taking him ice-skating for the first time in a few years, happy to see he hadn't forgotten how to skate. She had taught him as a child, having played as a child herself, she was glad that he was interested but she was never good enough to teach him how properly. "Ma, can we go see Shay this afternoon? I wanna tell her about you taking me skating!" Her son was hopeful that his mother would say yes but sadly she had to say no and it wasn't because Shay lived with Kelly, it was because Shay wasn't actually home, she had gone out with her parents for her days off, they had come down from Boston for a visit. "Sorry buddy, Shay is away with her parents, how about when she is back we can ask her to come skating with us and you can show her?" That seemed to satisfy her son, receiving a smile in return before he looked back out the window.<p>

The night before her shift started again was a Sunday night, she would be dropping James off at school the next day and then heading to the firehouse, and that meant she had to see Matt. She hadn't spoken to him since she had gone to see him, Matt had texted her a few times, just making sure she was ok but she never replied, unsure of what to say to him. As she walked through her hallway, she stopped at James' room before stepping inside and taking a seat on the armchair she had bought for him, bringing her knees to her chest as she watched her son sleep. She thought about all the times James had wanted to have a dad, asking where his dad was and why he didn't love him, but she couldn't tell him more than what she had already, more than the truth, this father _had_ loved him and it was that simple. Thinking back to her conversation with Matt, Gabby couldn't stop thinking about the almost kiss. God she had wanted to kiss him so much, wanted to know what those lips felt like, wanted to know what he felt like but she couldn't, it wasn't just her she had to think about.

Rising from her seat, Gabby made her way over to James' bed, needing to be close to him and so she laid down next to him, feeling to turn towards her, she wrapped her arms around his little body, sighing. She loved that she was home but hated that things were getting so complicated.

**Any love, please … :D**


	6. Saviour

**Thanks for the amazing reviews for the last chapter; they are keeping me going right now! So here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it and I would really like to hear what you guys think after it. **

**Also its about 5500+ words so have fun! **

**Chapter 6 – Saviour**

Gabby walked around and looked for Shay, desperate to get out of the firehouse and away from Matt, she sighed when she noticed Matt and Shay sitting close to each other, their heads down, speaking quietly. She stood the doorway and thought for a moment, unsure of what to do. "Hey Dawson, any chance of you making one of your amazing lunches today?" Her name caught her attention and she looked up towards the voice, finding Cruz standing by the kitchen bench, waiting for her to answer. Matt and Shay's head snapped up at the sound of her name as well, both holding back a look that she couldn't quite read. Nodding her head, Gabby headed over towards the bench, enjoying the distraction of cooking lunch for the group.

It had become quiet not long after she started cooked, each of the members of the house finding themselves lost in their own thoughts or activities, Gabby no different, she was so focused on the food she was making, she didn't even notice Matt standing by her side until she turned and ran into him, her hands coming to his chest to steady herself, "Oh! Sorry Matt, I didn't see you there…" She moved away from him, instantly missing the feeling of being so close to him, she really needed to get herself under control. "It's ok, I figured you didn't hear me talking to you when you didn't answer…" He smiled back at her slightly, trying to gauge her reaction to him, considering she had been ignoring his texts over the last few days.

"Yeah, sorry I was thinking about what I had to do for lunch, I really mustn't have heard you, what did you say?" She turned around time, taking him all in, inwardly loving the image of him standing in his grey CDF t-shirt, taking in how it fit tightly to his chest. He shrugged slightly, "Just wanted to know how you were that's all." He was a little shy, not sure what to say to her because he didn't know what she was thinking about what had happened between them. "Oh, I'm fine, been just busy the last few days really… how are you?" She turned back to her work, making sure that the gas was off, knowing what was coming next. "Yeah I've been alright … can we talk?" Gabby laughed to herself quietly, knowing that he would want to talk to her and knowing he would ask her to talk her today. "Yeah, sure… lets go out the back…" She motioned for him to follow her, wanting to make sure they could talk in private, away from the prying ears of those around them.

Matt followed her towards the back of the house, heading out the side door to the back there they would go if they needed a break from being inside, it was quiet enough to think for yourself and away from anyone who would hear them unless they had been followed. Leaning his back up against the brick wall Matt waited for Gabby to be comfortable, noticing she moved around a little bit, trying to decide where to stand or sit or lean that would allow her to be comfortable enough to talk, he didn't want to push her at all. "Look…" he started after a few second, realising that she wasn't going to say anything unless he did first, "… I want to say sorry for the other day. You were telling me about something that happened in your life and I tried to take advantage of you. That was not what I wanted and I know it shouldn't have happened…" He looked down, trying to keep himself from pushing himself away from the wall and crushing his lips on to hers.

Gabby looked back at him confused, scolding herself for thinking that he actually wanted to kiss her that he could have actually wanted to be with her that he had feelings for her. Straightening her back Gabby sighed, "It's fine Matt, really, it's not a big deal. Don't worry about it, it's already forgotten…" She went to move away from him, frustrated with his statement she went to head back inside but he stopped her, his hand coming around her arm to stop her from moving inside, "That's not what I meant Gabby…" He was close to her now, his chest almost pressed against her back, his voice low and his hand still on her arm, _what was he doing?_ Gabby stopped, shocked at his movements but also shocked at how it didn't bother her, shocked at how much she wanted to turn around and press her lips to his, the overwhelming feeling of want for him. Her words came out in a soft, forced tone, "What did you mean then…?" She turned her head slightly, looking back at him she noticed that he was so close, their bodies a hair width a part.

His hand slipped from her arm to her waist, pulling her slightly closer to him as she sucked in a breath, swallowing deeply as her hands covered his, holding them to her. "Matt…" her voice was soft, barely above a whisper as he turned her towards him slowly; giving her time to pull away is she wanted. As she turned to face him, Gabby closed her eyes, she knew that she wouldn't be able to control herself is she opened them, but much to her dismay she couldn't control her hands, finding them reaching out to touch Matt's chest, her eyes opening slowly. "Gabby…" his voice matched hers, his eyes glancing from her lips back up to her eyes within an instant, he wanted her, she wanted him, what was the problem? "You don't know anything about me Matt, this isn't as easy as it seems…" she was trying to convince him and herself that this wasn't a good idea but it fell on deaf ears as he reached up and touched her cheek, his fingers tangling in her hair.

In the distance they both heard the sound of the alarms going off, neither really paying much attention to them until the address was called out, _"Fully involved building fire - 615 West Kemper Place."_ With that Gabby jumped away from Matt, her heart thumping in her chest, fear seeping into ever part of her. Matt was not far behind Gabby, heading towards 51 with no clue how he was going to pull himself away, his need too great. Heading into the garage, both Matt and Gabby were greeted with waiting rigs, Gabby calling out to Shay to drive as fast as she could, her hands shaking. "Gabby what is it?" Shay looked over to Gabby as she drove, for the first time in a long time, Ambulance 61 was ahead of Truck and Squad.

Gabby fidgeted nervously, "That's James' school."

* * *

><p>Gabby swallowed deeply as they pulled up to the fully involved school fire. Teachers lined the streets, kids crying and shaking all sitting in lines, making sure not to move too far so they didn't get lost or hurt. Jumping from the ambo before it had even pulled to a stop, Gabby looked around, she couldn't see James' teacher anywhere but she knew he would be safe, every other teacher was there, chances are she just couldn't see them in all the commotion. Meeting up with the Chief and the other ambulances that had turned up, Gabby and Shay made their way through the teachers, checking each student to make sure they were alright, thankfully everyone had gotten out before any major damage happened. Turning to watch the scene in front of her, Gabby watched as the Squad guys and the Truck guys from 51, 77 and 38 made their way through the school, listening in on the radio to Casey and Severide's voices.<p>

She began to shake, something was not right about the scene in front of her, something was not right about all of this. Just as she went to turn to Shay, who had noticed the change in her PIC's demeanour, a large explosion came from the back of school, everyone gasped, some people cried out, but there was nothing they could do now, nothing, the frantic voices of the staff blending into one as they watched the flames lick higher into the sky. Each lieutenant sounding off through the radio to say they were ok, before heading back out the way they had come, each coming into view, Matt and Severide making their way to the Chief, who nodded before the teams went off to their areas, ready to tackle the fire head on. Gabby looked around then, something was still not right and that's when she saw it, James' teacher was frantic, looking around, counting out loud, panicking even more when she glanced up to find Gabby looking at her.

Within a moment the teacher was by her side, Gabby vaguely aware that Shay, Matt, Severide and the Chief was just behind her. "Ms Dawson …" a few quick breathes, tears streaking down her face, the teacher continued, "…James, I can't find him anywhere! He was here when I counted out but he and another student are missing!" Gabby's face paled, all sense of understanding was lost on her as the words fell from the teachers mouth, except that her child was missing. She blinked, unsure of how to respond that's when a young child, around James' age came up to them. "I saw James go back into the school. We couldn't find Sarah and I think he went to find her…" The boys voice was quiet, part of him knowing he should have said something earlier but with everything that had happened he never had the chance. Gabby staggered, she felt sick, James had gone back into the school; he had gone back into the fire to help someone. Shay reached out and touched her arm, Gabby thankful now that she had confided in Shay.

She turned then, turned to face the four people standing behind her, the only words she could get out were that of a plead; pleading for Matt to go back in, the look in her eyes telling them enough that gained a simple nod from the Chief. She watched on as Matt and Severide pulled on their masks, the little boy telling them where they might be, running off as fast as possible back into the school. Gabby couldn't have even told you how long she had been standing there for, watching, waiting, so numb to say anything, to numb to cry. Just stand there with Shay's arm around her, shaking like a leaf in the wind. Hours could have passed and she wouldn't have known nor did she care, she just wanted to have her child in her arms once more. That's when it happened; there was another explosion, this time a little closer to where the two fire fighters had gone into the building, this time she gasped, her hand rushing to her mouth, but not being able to tear her eyes away.

"We got them Chief, we are coming out!" Matt's voice found her ears, still not enough to stop the complete dread that had been building inside of her, not until she saw her son for herself and then, within moments Matt and Severide were running over to them, a child in each arm, the little girl holding onto Severide's neck, James laying limply across Matt's arms. Suddenly James was placed on the gurney by the paramedic's feet, the little girl on her feet by the group coughing deeply but seemingly ok. Then there was James; he was unconscious, lying still on the bed the moment Matt had placed him down, that's when Gabby snapped. She jumped into paramedic mode, albeit with tears streaking down her face, but she checked his vital signs, he was breathing but he wasn't waking up.

"Come on James…" she mumbled to herself as she tore open his shirt, finding bruising already starting to form on his small chest and stomach, "James wake up for me baby…" she tried again, not even watching as Shay moved around him, doing what she needed to do, an IV placed into his arm, the heart monitor being placed on his chest. "James!" Gabby's voice rose with fear are she rubbed her knuckles against his sternum hoping to get some response that never came. Why wasn't he waking up? Severide and the Chief just watched on as their PIC tried everything she could to hold it together, tears streaking down her cheek for the child on the gurney, not 100% sure what was going on but knowing it was serious. Matt had moved close to Gabby by now, watching as her hands as they shook while she moved over the child. "Damn it James, don't do this … OPEN YOUR EYES FOR ME BABY!" she had started to yell, it was not rational or understood because he was not conscious but that's what she did, something about it seemed to work.

The group of four watched as the boy moved his head, a groan escaping his lips as she turned his head to the side, looking for the source of the yelling. "Mum?" was the only word that slipped from his mouth when his eyes met hers, a heartbreaking sob escaping Gabby's lips as she rested both her palms on the side of the bed, bending over slightly and dropping her head, blowing out a breath of air, a sigh of relief followed by a sob. "Oh baby …" she looked back at him, her face fresh with tears as he reached out to touch her face, a smile forming on both their faces. The others watched on confused but happy at the interaction between what seemed to Gabby and her son, Shay leaning over slightly, touching Gabby's hand with hers. "Come on, let get him to the hospital…" Shay nodded towards the ambo as Gabby smiled tearfully at her, "Yeah, let get you checked out…" with one last glance around at the others, she smiled at Matt, a smile that held all the praise and appreciation she could muster at the moment, knowing that he would be getting more than a smile when she had calmed down.

As they moved him towards the back of the ambo, Gabby never left his side and their hands never left each other's but only stopped when the little girl came to their side, the little girl who James had gone back into see. "James … thank you …" she reached out to touch his arm, receiving a nod in return but then the girl looked at Gabby, still in complete earshot of the others who were just watching her, knowing they were listening to everything that was being said, "Ms Dawson… James came back to find me, he helped me get out of the bathroom but then we got stuck, something fell from the roof and he pushed me out the way …" she sniffed, retelling the story as Gabby placed her hand on the girls shoulder, "…I couldn't get him out, he was stuck under whatever had fallen …then - " This is when she looked towards Matt, "- he came and got him out." She ran back to her teacher suddenly, afraid that she would get into trouble. Gabby was shocked, her son had saved the little girl but almost gotten himself killed in the process. Matt had been the one to save him … She really needed to thank him later, but for now, they needed to get James to the hospital.

* * *

><p>It had been over an hour since they had brought James to the hospital, Shay waiting outside while the doctors spoke to Gabby, informing her that he was going to be fine, the bruising would subside and he would be discharged the next day. He was lucky not to have any broken ribs or more significant damage, she was thankful for that. Her son was alive and he was going to be fine. She watched as he slept peacefully on the bed, glad for the peace and quiet, she sighed, the full force of the day hitting her as she felt her body relax, tiredness come over her suddenly. Deciding it was time for a walk and a coffee, Gabby rose from her seat, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead before leaving, reaching for her phone to call Antonio on the way out. With her head down she started typing her text message, hitting send before turning round the corner to where the coffee stall was and the waiting room. There she noticed all of Squad and Truck, still in their turn out gear sitting in the waiting room seats, Shay sitting next to Severide as they chatted quietly.<p>

Matt was the first to notice her standing her, a bewildered look on her face, shaking again. He came to her side quickly, thinking the worst when he saw her, his movements gaining the attention of the other fire fighters in the room, they watched closely as she glanced around, complete shock and amazement coming to her face, realising they had been waiting for her, waiting to hear about her son, they had been there _for her_. "Is he ok?" his voice held concern, concern for a child he knew nothing about, concern for a child that she had kept secret from them all. Seeing the concern on all their faces, Gabby broke, tears streaming down her face although a smile gracing her lips, confusing everyone. "Yes, yes he is going to be fine. He is being released tomorrow …" she reached up suddenly, her arms wrapping around his neck as she pulled Matt close. "Thank you so much Matt, thank you…thank you…" She whispered in his ear as he held her back, his body relaxing against hers when she said he was going to be fine, the fear of the boy dying leaving his system.

Before pulling away Gabby placed a gently kiss against his cheek, wanting to thank him more than she possibly could for saving her son's life, "He is alive because of you, I have no way of thanking you or repaying you for that Matt." She pulled away from him, greeted with a smile and a nod, "You don't need to thank me, I would have done it all again …" He touched her cheek, brushing the tears from her face as he did so. Smiling back Gabby glanced over his shoulder to Severide who had also stood, wanting to hear if he was going to be ok as well. She moved towards him, her arms going to his neck as well, another thank you falling from her lips, but the kiss was only reserved for Matt, something that made Matt smile slightly and Severide grin at, he couldn't be mad about it. "Don't need to thank us Gabby, really." He placed his hand on her shoulder, a nod following.

Everyone else in the room rose to hug her, Herman holding on tight as he knew what it was like having kids, and one by one they walked back to their trucks, needing to head back to the house, tired from the call of the day. Chief had undoubtedly given her the rest of the shift off and also the next few, telling her not worry about a thing with a smile and a hug, before moving away as well, leaving just Matt and Gabby in the waiting room. She looked away embarrassed, unsure of what to say to him. Gabby had feelings for him, honest to god feelings for Matthew Casey but she couldn't follow them, she knew heartache and heartbreak and she couldn't do that to herself, her son or Matt for that matter. It was just too much, he had become a close friend but she couldn't have more than that … could she? Groaning she turned away from him, "Oh, god today has just been a nightmare. I don't know how I am going to be able to relax after this…" She rubbed her hands over her face, the full understanding of the day reaching her.

"Hey, it's ok. James in going to be alright, the little girl is going to be alright." Matt had placed his hand on her shoulder now, taking a step towards her back, the warmth radiating from his body to hers, unwittingly Gabby relaxing in his touch, her body slumping backwards slightly to rest against his chest. God what was she doing!? If she had the energy, Gabby would have slapped herself but she couldn't, she didn't have the strength for anything right now and Matt, well he made her feel safe and warm. "I know … but all of this now means that you all deserve an explanation." She really didn't want to have to talk about it, it was all too painful but she knew that she couldn't _not_ tell them, not after what they all had done for her. "Hey …" Matt was now whispering in her ear, not even caring that the others were waiting for him outside, "…you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. We are a family here and we don't _expect_ anything. If you want to tell us what happened then you do, if you don't we will still be there to back you up." She nodded against him, not daring to glace back knowing he was so close.

Suddenly pulling away, Gabby took a step from him, "You should go, they are waiting for you and I should get back to James. Thank you again Matt." She reached for his hand, holding it tightly for a moment before he turned from her, rushing out the door back to his waiting truck. Gabby smiled to herself, he had risked his life to save her son, and the whole house had sat there for over an hour, waiting for any news on her son, she really was _finally _home.

* * *

><p>The first thing Matt did after shift the next morning was head towards the hospital, he wanted to see Gabby and James, he hadn't stopped thinking about them all night. As he walked into the hospital room the first thing he noticed was Gabby sitting with her legs tucked underneath her on the chair to the side, sun streaming through the window and lighting her up, but she was cold, he could tell by the way her arms were wrapped around herself, trying to keep warm. Smiling gently to himself, Matt moved over to her side, before dropping his large jacket over her, watching as she grabbed onto it, a small smile gracing her lips. He turned back towards the child in the hospital bed, pulling the chair from the other side of the room over to sit by the bed, just looking at the small boy. To say that he was shocked to find out that Gabby had a son was an understatement; he couldn't believe it and if the boy hadn't have called her 'mum' he probably still wouldn't have believed it. Shaking his head, Matt looked down and noticed just how much he looked like Gabby. He honestly didn't know what to feel, his feelings for Gabby hadn't changed he knew that much but he now thought of how much more difficult it would be to convince her to go out with him, it wasn't just her she had to think of, she had her son to think of as well.<p>

Movement caught Matt's attention and he looked up to find the boy looking back at him, a slightly confused look on his face. "Hey, you're awake…" Matt leaned forward, a smile coming to his face when he noticed that James was up, "…let me wake your mum…" Matt moved to stand, thinking that Gabby would want to know that he was awake, but James stopped him, "Wait…" He coughed, trying to sit up slowly until Matt helped him, raising the boy to lean forward, reaching for a pillow to place behind his back, handing him the cup of water that waited to be drunk. Coughing once more, James sat backwards on the bed, looking over at Matt with a look of realisation. "You saved me…" Matt nodded, "Yea I did buddy. I'm Matt Casey by the way." The look of confusion on James' face told him that he wasn't sure exactly why he had to be saved so Matt continued, "Apparently you went back into the school because there was a little girl in there, you saved her life buddy. Next time though, don't scare your mother like that, she was terrified…" He laughed gently as James looked over towards his mother, a sad look coming to his face. "Yeah I know I shouldn't have but no one else cared that she was in there…" He looked away again, slightly embarrassed that he was getting into trouble from someone he didn't know, not looking forward to the scolding he was going to get from his mother when she woke up.

"Hey, listen to me. What you did yesterday was the bravest thing I have ever seen from a kid your age. You just have to know that your mother loves you, I could tell by how scared she was when we brought you out to her." Matt placed his hand on James' arm, watching as the boy nodded gently, before closing his eyes again, still exhausted from the pain killers he was on. "Oh hey…" Matt's head snapped up to find Gabby looking at him, a sleepy smile on her face, her hands still clenched around his jacket. "Hey, I didn't know you were up." He spoke softly, slowly moving his hand away from James; unsure of how Gabby would react knowing that he had just spoke to her son. He watched her sit up slowly, stretching her arms over her head, his jacket falling around her knees but she didn't try and move it, only to bring it back to her chest when she leaned over towards the bed. "Yea I figured, I heard you talking to James, I heard what you said …" she smiled at him before rising from her chair, placing the jacket down gently before coming to Matt's side and wrapping her arms around his neck, an action that shocked Matt for a moment before he relaxed, his arms going around her waist. "Matt, I know I said this yesterday, but thank you so much for going in after him. You have no idea how much it means to me that you were there." She pulled back and looked him in the eyes; her look holding more appreciation than her words could have possible done.

Matt just smiled back, courageously running his hand over her hair, smoothing it out slightly, "You don't have to thank me Gabby. I would do it again if it needed to be done." His voice was low, suddenly realising how close their faces were but Matt knowing now was definitely not the time to try anything. She laughed suddenly, "God I really hope you don't have to do it again…" Gabby pulled away, sitting on the side of the bed, looking down at James who was still asleep. "…I don't know whether to yell at him or hug him. He gets it from his father, the courage and sense of need to help others; I just wish he thought before he acted. He is so strong…exactly like his father…" She words were soft, almost spoken for herself but Matt heard them, almost as though she was daring him to ask about James father. He wanted to, but first he wanted Gabby to know something. "Hey…" he reached for her hand, "…your son is strong because he has a strong mother, a mother who cares about everyone else in the world, probably even when she shouldn't. He has gotten more from you than you realise. I can already see it." Matt squeezed her hand, noticing a small tear forming in her eye but she wouldn't let it fall, neither did she let their hands fall, enjoying the feel of someone caring about her.

There was silence between them for a few moments, Matt and Gabby still holding each others hand, Gabby's free one rubbing James cheek gently, she spoke suddenly, "We were so young, I hadn't even turned 18 when I found out I was pregnant. His father, Chris, was a good man, a close friend who cared about me, loved me and I loved him. He was 22 when I told him I was pregnant. I had just finished school, heading to college with the intent of being a paramedic, he was already a cop and he freaked so he left. I can't blame him; I have never blamed him to be honest with you I was freaked out enough myself. I thought about not having James, thought about what would happen if I'd given him up or just not had him." Matt leaned forward, wanting her to look at him but he knew she wouldn't continue if he tried to get her to turn around, her face focused on her son's sleeping one. She paused for a moment; thinking maybe Matt would say something but he let her continue, let her tell the story she had been holding on to for so long.

Taking a deep breath Gabby continued, "But by this stage my brother and his wife had already had their first, she was only a few years old and I loved her, I loved the interaction between her and her mother, the love that was shared, granted I never got to have much of that with my own mum," Her comment was offhand, something that confused Matt, making a note that he would have to try and find out what she was talking about at another point. "So I decided to have him," she continued, "and it was hard, I mean I had my brother and my sister in law, I was still trying to get some study in when I can but it was hard because I was mostly alone. Until one day Chris turned up at my door step about six months after James was born, he told me had made a mistake leaving, he wanted nothing more than to be in his sons life and so I let him. Simple as that." By this time Gabby had dropped her head, dropping Matt's hand in the process, vaguely aware that she missed the contact and yet he stayed silent, letting her take all the time she needed to continue. "We were happy, from that moment on, we were happy, a family. One day I was in class, finishing off the last of my classes before starting my medic rotation and there was a knock at the door, I looked up and found Chris' partner standing at the door, his face sad and tearstained. I broke down in the middle of my class, he didn't even have to say anything and everyone staring at the 22 year old young mother who was balling her eyes out."

Gabby let out a shaky breath, trying to hold back the emotion, as this had been the first time she had actually talked about that day that hadn't been there or already knew. Matt stood suddenly, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer as she shook a little, "He was still in his uniform when he came to find me, being Chris's best friend he wanted to tell me. He had been killed on the job, shot by a drug dealer who thought Chris was coming after him, not even realising that Chris had finished for the day, heading to his car to pick James up from day care. He killed him out of cold blood because he thought Chris was coming after him." That's when she let out a sob causing Matt's heart to break for her, she had been so sad for so long that he wasn't surprised that she was breaking down. Pulling her from the bed, Matt wrapped his arms around her properly, letting her head fall to his chest as her arms went around his waist, holding him tightly.

He placed a kiss to the top of Gabby's head, just letting her cry as much as she needed too, waiting for the moment that she relaxed, a deep sigh escaping her lips. As she pulled away Gabby wiped her face, more than a little embarrassed that she had broken down the way she did in front of him, "I'm sorry, I can't believe that happened…" Gabby went to pull way from Matt but his hands caught her suddenly, forcing her gently to look up at him, "Hey, don't you ever be sorry about how you feel ok. There is nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed of, do you hear me?" All she could do was give a half hearted nod, moving back to the bed to be close to her son, Matt taking his seat back on the chair, needing to be close to her to know she was going to be ok, he reached out a took her hand again, an action she didn't stop.

**So it finally happened! What do you all think? :D**


	7. Home Time

**Hope that was worth the wait guys! :D thanks for all the love, really, its amazing how many of you take the time to review, please keep it up!**

**So in honour of the last chapter and that fact that I am just short of 60 REVIEWS FOR ONLY 6 CHAPTERS here is the next one, very, very early. Also for the fact that I just got an email in regards to MY GRADUATION! Woo! I passed my course! Yay! :D **

**I also want to say that I am trying to keep this at a natural progression, something that would be possible and not unrealistic so I apologise if it seems slow or anything, I'm just trying to make it true to life. **

**ENJOY! :D**

**Chapter 7 – Home Time**

Antonio stood outside James' hospital room looking in, watching as his sister stood with a man he had never seen before, he watched as Gabby stood in his arms, holding onto him tightly, curious to know who this man was and why Gabby hadn't said anything, also very surprised that he was in the hospital room with her son, she must have told him who he was. He watched as the man took a seat on the chair while Gabby sat against the side of the bed, still holding onto his on the door to the room, Antonio stepped inside, watching as Gabby and the man looked up, a small look of surprise crossing Gabby's face before she stood and went into his arms, wrapping hers around his waist, "'Tonio…" She whispered, holding him tightly. Antonio's head rose from his sisters shoulder and watched as Matt stood, placing his hands in his pockets before heading out the door, a quick glance thrown over his shoulder at Gabby before walking down the hall. Little did either of them know that Matt did not leave, he sat against the wall at the first chairs he found, making sure to be close enough to her if she needed him.

"Thank you for coming 'Tonio, I am so happy you are here," Gabby pulled away and sat back against the bed, looking down at her son who was sleeping peacefully. "It's ok, Shay rang me, told me what happened…" His words were precise, making sure that Gabby knew he had been confused. "Yea I asked her to ring you, I didn't know if you got my text or not..." Gabby didn't even look back at him, sighing, "Just say it Antonio … I know you want to say something…" This time she did look back at him, glaring slightly. "Ok, fine. Who is he?" Antonio didn't even need to elaborate on whom he was talking about just watching as Gabby sighed again, "His name is Matt. He is a lieutenant from 51 and he is the one that saved James. He went back into that school and pulled him out…" Gabby turned back to James, running her hand over his cheek slowly.

"And he just happened to be here…hugging you?" Antonio raised his eyebrow, waiting to hear what Gabby had to say for herself. It wasn't that it bothered him, honestly he wanted his sister to be happy, to find someone who made her happy but he was worried, James' father had been a cop and he was killed, the last thing he wanted was for Gabby to fall for someone who could also get killed in their job, a fire fighter being the top of his list of people how could get hurt. Sighing, he stood, "And you too…" he didn't want to elaborate, knowing she knew what he was asking. She shook her head, "No, we aren't together, we..." she looked up at Antonio, noticing the look in his eyes, knowing that she wasn't going to be able to stop herself from telling him.

"I have feelings for him, yes. OK, I really do have feelings for him and it scares me because I haven't felt this way about anyone, ever! 'Tonio, I almost kissed him …twice and I wanted it to happen …God what is wrong with me?" She dropped her head and Antonio reached out for her, "Hey, there is nothing wrong with you! You are allowed to be happy Gabby, I just want you to be careful, I don't want you getting hurt again." She nodded again him, breathing out her words, "He saved James' life, and I don't think I could ever repay him for that…" With that she rose from the bed, taking a seat on the far chair again, bringing Matt's jacket back around her, not even bothering to hide it from Antonio.

Nodding as he watched her, Antonio sighed, "I should head off, let Laura know what is going on… call me if you need me alright?" He watched as she nodded, a small smile of thanks coming to her face as she closed her eyes again. Walking out the room, Antonio shook his head, he could that his sister really did care about this man but he just worried, not that Matt didn't care, because clearly he did or else he wouldn't have been at the hospital with her, but he worried still. Walking through the corridor back towards his car, Antonio noticed Matt sitting against the wall, his head down, staring at his hands. "Matt…" Matt's head snapped up at his name and he stood realising that it was Antonio looking down at him. "…I'm Antonio Dawson, Gabby's brother…" he extended his hand to Matt which Matt took gladly. "Nice to meet you Antonio, Gabby has told me a lot about you." It was true, Gabby had told Matt about her Detective brother, enough for Matt to be a little worried.

Antonio just nodded, "Well sadly I can't say the same for you, although I'm not surprised that she hadn't said anything to me …" Matt only nodded again, she wasn't surprised either. "…Well I wish it was under better circumstances that we met Matt but I wanted to thank you for saving my nephew, he is Gabby's world and he is still alive because of you…" Matt smiled, a sense of relief washing over him suddenly, "Its not a problem, really, I would do it again if I had to …" Matt watched as Antonio smiled back, taking a seat next to the one Matt had risen from. "You know, I worried about Gabby coming back to Chicago, I know this is her home and that I am here but this place holds so many bad memories for her that I didn't know if she would be able to move on from them and yet here she is, her life going right for once, she is happy, and I owe part of that to you…" Antonio looked up at Matt, watching as he took a seat slowly next to him, unsure of how to continue.

"She doesn't have to tell me about you know that there is someone in her life that is making her happy, someone who treats her the way she deserves to be treated." Matt spoke up suddenly, realising that Antonio had gotten the wrong idea about that, at least at the moment, and he didn't want this to blow up in his face because Antonio assumed too early. "Oh, Gabby and I, we aren't-" But Antonio cut him off, "I know you're not but I can see that she cares about you and clearly you care about her or else you wouldn't be here, so I am just happy that you are around for her." Standing suddenly, Antonio sighed, "I love my sister Matt, and she had made some decisions that I'm not 100% about but let me tell you this, I have never doubted her when her son is concerned, so if she decides to let you in, make sure you take care of her." And with that Antonio walked away, leaving Matt sitting quietly against the chair, thinking over Antonio's words.

* * *

><p>"MUM! Stop it please!" James sighed as his mother fussed over him, making sure he really was ok to be brought home. "I'm fine, really I am, I just want to go home!" He sighed again, watching as his mother took a step back from him, looking over at her son and the bandage that was on his head, something she wasn't too bothered about, more concerned about the bruising on his stomach. "I know baby, I just want to make sure you are ok. Have I told you how much trouble you would be in if you weren't in hospital?" She raised her eyebrow at her son, watching as he mimicked her facial expression. "Yes, mum, you have told me already that I would be grounded for a year but I can honestly say I am glad that I am in hospital if it means I'm not grounded." They stood off against each other for a moment, each daring the other to speak but neither speaking, that's when a knock at the door happened and Gabby looked up to find Shay and Kelly standing there.<p>

"I heard someone is heading home today!" Shay opened her arms, waiting for James to come to them, which he did, happy to see her mum's friend. "Yea I am! Can you tell mum I'm ok? She won't leave me alone!" He turned in Shay's arms, looking back at his mother, but Shay spoke, "Hey be thankful your mother hasn't grounded your butt for what you did mister!" She laughed at the look on his face, shocked that Shay had agreed with his mother, "Oh come on!" That's why James noticed Kelly standing behind Shay, "Hey buddy, how are you. I'm Kelly…" he extended his hand to James, taking in the full view of the child, still not believing when Casey had told him that James really was her son. "Hi Kelly…My name is James," James took his hand, showing that he could be a grown when he wanted to.

"Well James, I think that you deserve a present for saving that little girl…" he held up a new PS3 controller for James to see, watching as his face lit up! "Really?" he jumped towards Kelly, taking the control in his hand, "Mum now I have 3 controllers!" He turned to his mother, his excitement too much to handle and he showed her. "Yes baby I can see that, the question is _why_ do you need a third controller?" She turned towards Shay and Kelly this time, an eyebrow raised. "Well we figured since you are getting out today, we could come over and play Lego Batman for a bit …" James' face lit up like a fluorescent light bulb, "Really? Please mum, can they come over?" James had become so hopefully this his mother would say yes that she couldn't bring herself to say no. "Oh, alright, _but_ you have to promise me it'll be early to bed tonight alright?" He nodded quickly, agreeing to whatever his mother said as long as Shay and Kelly would come over.

Which they did, the minute James was released from hospital, the small group of people headed back to the house where the two adults and the child set up in the lounge, chocolate, chips and soft drinks ready to go for a long day of relaxing and playing Batman, something that Gabby was kind of glad that James had, it gave her time to rest. "Hey, I'm just gonna grab a shower, I shouldn't be too long." Gabby watched as the adults nodded in response before heading towards her room and her bathroom, looking forward to the relaxing shower that was about to happen. Stripping down her clothes, Gabby sighed happily as the warm water coated her skin, relaxing the muscles that had become tight from fear, nerves and sleeping awkwardly on the chair in the hospital room.

As her mind drifted to the hospital room, it didn't take long until she started to think about the day before, the fear of loosing James, knowing that Matt had to go in and save him, looking at him unresponsive on the gurney. It suddenly all became too much for Gabby, she rested her back against the cool tiles, letting her legs buckle beneath her, her breathing becoming rapid and the tears she had been holding in for most of the last 24 hours started to fall. Her body shook at the thought of losing her son, seeing him lying on the gurney, shaking him, calling out, only to find that nothing worked. She really had almost lost him, if it hadn't been for Matt, she probably would have. After a few moments of Gabby's breakdown she sucked in another breath, trying to calm her shaking body as she rose from the sitting position, exiting the shower and making her way back into the bedroom where she changed into something more comfortable.

Upon walking back into the lounge, Gabby found the group still sitting where she had left them twenty minutes earlier, although this time, Shay had looked up, giving Gabby a knowing nod, telling her that everything was going to be ok.

* * *

><p>"Uncle Antonio are we there yet?" James sat nervously in the back of Antonio's car, desperate to get to his mothers work and see the fire trucks. Antonio laughed, "Almost there buddy, I promise." Earlier that day Gabby had told James that he would be visiting the firehouse for the rest of her shift, staying the night and then heading out to look at new schools the next morning, knowing that the damage to his school was so extensive they would be looking at a rebuild which would take a long time. They had found out what had started the fire, or more like who, some kids had been smoking in on f the empty rooms, they had dropped the butts, setting some of the materials on fire and it had just grown from there. They had talked about schools over the last week and a half, finding it hard to get him into a school straight away, the other kids having the same problem but she was pretty sure she had already worked out where James would be going. He would probably end up going to school with Eva and Diego, making it easier for Laura and Antonio on the days she had shift to get him to school.<p>

As they pulled up at the front of the house, James had jumped from the car before it had even stopped, not even caring about his uncle's voice when he saw his mum standing in the driveway next to Shay and their ambulance. "MUM!" He called out, running to her side, as she turned a little shocked. "Hi baby, how are you?" She laughed, wrapping her arms around him as he hugged her. "I'm fine mum, but I'm not a _baby_." He hated when she called him that, reminding her every time that he wasn't one, always getting the same response, "I know but you are _my_ baby." Then a kiss on the top of the head before moving to give Shay a hug hello, then to Kelly who had come out to meet them. "Hey buddy, how are you feeling?" James just smiled, loving that fact that he was in a firehouse, looking at fire trucks and talking to fire fighters. "Mum can I go and have a look at the trucks?" James looked up hopeful only be greeted with a smile, "Of course. I'm sure Kelly doesn't mind taking you to see the Squad truck…"

Gabby glanced up at Kelly as she spoke; hoping that he would agree, glad when he did. She watched them both walk off towards the truck, Kelly taking the boy in his arms, sending laughter throughout the whole garage. "He looks happy …" Shay's voice found Gabby's ears and she smiled, "Yea he really is. I'm so glad he is finally happy. Finally home." Just as she turned back to Shay, Truck 81 backed into the garage, James watching in awe as the fire fighters jumped out on by one. "Wow! That was _so_ cool!" Matt turned around at the sound of the boy's voice. "Hey kiddo, what are you doing here?" As he spoke James ran over to Matt, hugging him hello before looking at the truck. "I'm staying here tonight. Mum said it was ok." James didn't even look at matt as he spoke, so enthralled with looking at the fire truck. "Well that's exciting…" Matt shrugged off his jacket before placing it over the boy's shoulders, "That's better…"

He laughed when James turned trying to look at the jacket what was on his shoulders, desperate to see what it looked like. "Wow … Mum! I'm a fire fighter!" He laughed showing her the back of the jacket 'Casey' staring straight at her. "I can see that, did you thank Matt for letting you try it on?" Gabby had walked over to the side of truck, ignoring the smirking looks she was getting from Shay, Kelly and the rest of the 81 as she leaned against the side of the truck, her arms crossed as Matt grinned back at her. "It's alright, I love how excited kids getting when looking at the truck, that's thanks enough for me." He smiled as he opened the drivers side door, helping James inside so he could sit down, he turned to Cruz, "Hey Cruz, looks like I found your replacement…" The fake look of shock across Cruz' face made James smile wider; he couldn't believe he was in the truck.

"Thanks Matt, that was awesome!" James hugged him again as he gave back the jacket once his feet were back on the floor, moving towards his mother, "Mum, I wanna be a fire fighter when I grow up!" Matt laughed as he looked at James and then Gabby, noticing that her smile dropped slightly when he spoke, unsure of why she would have that look. "We will see baby." She ruffled his hair before leading him inside, watching as he ran to the couch and sat next to Mouch, taking the control from his hands and flicking the channel, oblivious to the pure shock on Mouch's face.

"Hey Dawson, you and James coming to the Fireman's BBQ next weekend?" Herman spoke once the group was settled. After the events of the week before with the school fire and finding out that Gabby had a child, it had taken them all a little time to adjust to the thought of the ten year old but it bothered no one, they had become curious about where his father was but no one seemed worried enough to ask, also not knowing if Gabby wouldn't actually tell them or not. She glanced up from the table, where she had seated herself next to Matt while he read the paper, Gabby working on her laptop, "Ah yea sure. Shay has told me lots about it so I think we will be coming down." She received cheers from the table around her. "That's what we like to hear, my kids will be there so James has someone to play with!" Herman clapped his hand on Gabby shoulder before moving to the couch, wanting to have a chat with James, who had become the centre of attention, even gaining the attention of Pouch.

Smiling, Gabby looked back down at her laptop, glad that they were so welcomed into the house, noticing then that Matt had leaned over slightly, his hand resting on her gently, "I'm glad you guys are coming Gabby. It's a great day and I know that James will love it." He squeezed her hand before moving back to the paper he was reading, glancing up only once to find Gabby staring at him, an impossible to read look written all over her face.

* * *

><p>It was late at night when the house was quiet, Chief was still in his office finishing papers, Shay and Gabby had taken to their beds due to the overly busy afternoon they had had, Kelly was in his office asleep, Matt sitting at his desk with the door only slightly open and James was resting on the bed next to his mothers, listening as she slept quietly. Rising from the bed slowly, James looked around, finding that Matts light was still on he moved towards the door, finding Matt sitting at his desk, "Hey…" His soft voice caught Matt's attention, Matt looking up quickly. "Hey buddy, what's up?" Matt turned in his chair to face James, glancing at the time as he did, <em>11.34pm<em> blinking back at him. He watched as James shrugged, shuffling his feet so Matt motioned for him to come inside.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Matt raised his eyebrow at the boy, watching as he slowly sat down. "Matt…" James looked away, trying to show that he wasn't sad, "…have you ever been caught in a fire?" Then it dawned on Matt, James hadn't been sleeping because of the fire, he had probably been having nightmares and not sure how to deal with it. Standing slowly, Matt came to sit at James side, "Yea I have, a couple of time…" This time James looked up towards Matt, "Were you scared?" James looked back at Matt, tears filling his eyes as Matt placed his arm around James shoulder, bringing him closer, "Terrified…" James dropped his head to Matt's side, letting his tears fall as he cried. "I can't sleep, all I see is the fire. I can't tell mum because she will worry about me but I don't know what to do…" He sobbed a few more times, letting Matt hold him for a few moments.

After the tears subsided, Matt spoke, "You just did it. The best thing to do is talk to someone when you are feeling the way you are. Everyone gets scared, there is nothing wrong with it, its natural." James nodded against Matt as he spoke, thankful to have someone to talk to about this sort of thing. "Thanks Matt." He pulled away and wiped his face, removing what was left of the tears. Matt just smiled, "You are more than welcome buddy, I am always here if you need it. Now why don't you lay down and try and get some sleep…" Matt motioned towards the bed, watching as James lay down slowly, his head touching Matt's pillow and his eyes closed, his breathing evening out the moment he relaxed. Moving back to his seat at his desk, Matt sighed, he was only a child, he shouldn't have to feel the way that he was.

**Love for a hint of the next chapter? **

**The next chapter brings the BBQ … **


	8. Thoughtful

**I can't believe I got 13 reviews for the last chapter! You guys are great! I know I say that every chapter but you all really are! **

**I am so happy that you all are loving the fact the Matt knows about James so enjoy the next chapter!**

**Chapter 8 – Thoughtful**

Matt sat at the small table, his back to the majority of the other fire fighters, giving him full view of the car park; desperate to see when Gabby and James would turn up. He had been there for almost an hour, so had most of the rest of 51 but she hadn't turned up. "Hey she will be here. She told me she would be coming." Shay leaned over to speak to Matt, noticing that he had been glancing over Herman's shoulder for the last 30 minutes. Snapping his head up to meet Shay Matt sighed, his cheeks burning slightly. "Yeah I know. I don't even know why this is affecting me so much." He whispered back, glad that the rest of the table was lost in conversation. "Because you have feelings for her." It was a simple answer that made Matt groan. "I'm gonna get a beer". He stood quickly, needing to busy himself while he waited.

"Hey man." Matt looked up suddenly to find Antonio standing next to him, a beer in his hands, waiting to be taken. Taking the beer with a nod of thanks, Matt spoke, "hey Antonio. What are you doing here?" Matt looked around then laughing when he realized that the banner above the trees read 'CFD AND CPD 1st ANNUAL BBQ'. "Yea they decided to join them this year...something about moral or whatever." Matt laughed again, settling into conversation about life and work with the detective. Suddenly Antonio straightened his back, "I'll leave you..." Then he left, leaving Matt looking confused until another voice spoke, "hey, hope one of those is for me..." Matt turned to find Gabby standing behind him, jeans and a singlet top over her body. "Hey!" Matt smiled widely, leaning down to wrap his arms around her, bringing her into a hug that she gladly returned.

"Sorry we are late, got caught finishing off some stuff." As Matt handed gabby the beer, glancing around to find James standing next to the table with Shay and Kelly and the rest of 51. "That's ok, things really only start to kick off now anyway." He smiled back at her and took a swing of her beer, thankful for the cool feeling on such a warm day, or maybe it was being so close to Matt that was causing her to feel warm. "I ran into your brother just before. Said something about joining our BBQ with the CPD or something." Gabby glanced around then, a sudden feeling in her stomach that didn't last long until Matt placed his hand on her arm, "You wanna go sit down?" Matt nodded his head towards the table of 51 fire fighters, moving towards the table when she nodded, taking the seat next to each other, the arms and legs touching as it was a tight squeeze.

"So James here was telling us that you have found him a new school…" Shay turned towards Gabby, smiling widely when she noticed how she and Matt were sitting. Gabby swallowed the mouthful of beer she had before answer, Matt watching her closely, wondering why she had never told him, "Oh yea, it was supposed to be a surprise for my niece and nephew, I was able to get him into the same school as them." She beamed happily, James bouncing excitedly as she told the group, all of them cheering happily for the pair, knowing how hard it had been over the last week trying to find a school to take him. "That's great!" Shay was thrilled, she had talked to Gabby a few times about his schooling, each time Gabby seeming more and more worried about finding somewhere that would be good for him. James bounced off of Shays lap, looking at his mum, "Can I get something to eat?" Gabby nodded, glancing back as he walked towards the table of food, noticing his uncle standing just off to the side, he ran to him, thrilled to see him.

"Hey looks happy…" Matt leaned in close to Gabby, noticing that she dropped her head to hear him, smiling up, she noticed how close they were to each other, she pulled away, shyly. "Yea, he is thrilled." They sat speaking together for another few minutes, ignoring the rest of the table and became lost in their own conversation. That was until someone behind Gabby cleared their throat. Turning slowly, Gabby's eyes widened and her head dropped, "Andrew?" Gabby was shocked to see him standing there, completely unsure about what to do as the group watched on. "Hey Gabby, it's been a while…" He smiled back at her, "You know, I saw you sitting here with the fire fighters but I couldn't believe it was you. Until I saw the spitting image of you wandering around, I knew it had to be." Gabby hadn't said a word, instead she stood and looked at Andrew completely, taking him in considering it had been years since she had seen him. "You look good Gabs." He tried again, hoping to get some sort of reaction out of her.

Matt sad silently on the table, he was becoming ever more jealous of the way this guy spoke to her, Gabby clearly shocked to see him but obviously they had some form of past. Then she finally spoke, "It's been so long …" Matt watched as she wrapped her arms around the man's neck, holding him closely, something that he wished she would do for him. "I'm sorry, guys this is Andrew, I knew him years ago…Andrew these are the fire fighters from 51. I'm stationed there permanently now." Andrew waved a hello, turning back to Gabby, "Permanently? I don't believe it. The last time I spoke to you, you flat out refused to come back to Chicago…" Gabby shrugged, nodding her head towards the food, hoping to get a bit more of a private conversation, being that Shay and Matt were the only ones who knew about what had happened to James' father, but they wouldn't know who Andrew was, she had never told them his name. Shay watched closely as Matt's eyes followed the two towards the food. "Hey don't worry, she wasn't looking at him the way she looks at you." But that didn't stop the feeling that Matt had inside, the complete jealously of her talking to someone else.

Off to the side, Gabby and Andrew spoke, "How have you been Gabs?" He just watched as she shrugged again, "Yeah know, day by day. I mean James is an amazing kid it's just hard. He is getting to that stage where he talks about a dad, talks about wanting a father or why he is different to everyone else. I just don't know what to tell him some days." She shrugged again, wanting to change the subject she spoke, "How about you? You've grown up…" She smiled, the last time she had seen Andrew, he was only 26, and now 6 years later he had really grown up. "Yeah I'm good. Working out of district 21 now, so I've been seeing Antonio around a bit, which is good. I'm married…" He held up his hand to show her the ring, watching as a shocked look came over her face. "…and I have two kids, crazy little things they are 4 and 2." He smiled again, knowing that she couldn't believe that he was married with kids. "What about you? You were looking cozy with that fire fighter when I walked up." Gabby blushed at his words, shaking her head, "Nah, nothing much. It's just me and James." They chatted for a few minutes still, until Andrew was called away by his eldest son, promising to see Gabby again he left her standing alone.

Gabby looked out to the group of kids that were playing soccer, Herman's kids there while the fathers joined, deciding it was time to play a again, fathers against sons, which everyone found amusing. "He looked happy to see you…" Matt's voice caught Gabby off guard, she jumped, "Don't do that!" She laughed, slapping his shoulder slightly. "Sorry, you were lost in thought, couldn't resist." There was silence between them for a moment, both watching the group of kids and adults laughing. "Andrew was Chris's partner, he is the one who told me Chris had been shot." Gabby spoke quietly, still not looking at Matt, not really sure how he would react. "Oh, Gabby. I'm sorry. That must have been hard." He placed his arm around her shoulder, bringing her to his side. "Yea it was, I mean it's been 6 years since I had seem him last, so it was a bit of a shock. I mean he is married with two kids now!" She laughed, shaking her head but never moving from Matts embrace, happy to stand there as they watch on.

Matt looked around, noticing James standing just to the side of them, watching the group intently but not joining in. There was something about the way the boy stood that made his concerned and so Matt moved away from Gabby, a slight laps in judgement as he placed a kiss to her forehead before moving towards James. "Hey kiddo, why aren't you playing?" He knew Gabby was watching them both, listening to every words that was said. James shrugged, "They said I could play if I got my dad to play to, coz the numbers would be uneven." He looked down sadly, Matt didn't blame the kids, they didn't know that James didn't have a dad but the sadness on James face broke his heart. Just as Gabby was coming to his side to speak, Matt straightened up, "Well you know what…" he lifted James into the air and over his shoulder, "I think I just found a way to even the playing field…" Matt carried James onto field, placing him down gently before they both joined in. Matt throwing a glance and a wink to Gabby who smiled gratefully, happy to see her son enjoying himself.

After more than hours of enjoyment at the BBQ, Gabby called to James, "Hey kiddo, we should head off, it's been a big day and I need some sleep!" She smiled when James groaned, he didn't want to leave, which was great but they had to go, so he said his good byes, giving hugs where they were due, an extra long on to Matt and a whispered 'thank you' before pulling away, walking with Shay to the car so Gabby could talk to Matt. "Thank you again Matt, you have no idea how much that meant to him…he adores you…" She blushed slightly, not sure how he would react to what she had just said, but he smiled widely, "Who wouldn't?! Nah it's fine, really. I'm glad he enjoyed himself, he's a great kid!" He smiled back, glad she was didn't mind him getting involved him James life, glad the kid was enjoying having him around. After a hug goodbye and a wave to the rest of the group, Gabby rushed off to the car, Matt back to the table, only to find Gabby had left her jacket behind. He reached for it, making a mental note that he would take it too her later that night.

* * *

><p>Matt stood at the door to Gabby's house, trying to decide if he should knock or if he should just give her back the jacket she had left when he saw her at the firehouse next, but he had wanted to see her again, he was desperate to know what her lips felt like, being that they had almost kissed twice, he was frustrated. There was always something pulling them apart, stopping what they both wanted to happen. Sucking a flaming breath Matt brought his hand up to knock on the door, hearing movement and talking before the door swung open, James standing on the other side. "Matt!" He seemed happy to see Matt; the boy's smile growing. "Hey kiddo, mum here?" Matt looked around wanting to make sure Gabby was home before going inside. James smiled wider, stepping aside to let Matt inside, "Yeah mum is just about to get in the shower."<p>

Matt stepped inside slowly, his cheeks blushing slightly at James words, he was glad that James was still innocent enough that he didn't notice the reaction he gave. "Oh that's alright, I just wanted to drop this off to her..." He held up Gabby's jacket, "...she left it on the seat at the picnic." James nodded, taking it from Matt before walking back towards the bedrooms before coming back. "Mum did say she forgot it. She'll be glad you brought it back." There was silence between them for a moment, Matt glancing around until his eyes fell on the TV. "You're playing the new Batman?" He nodded towards the TV, earning a nod from James. "Yea Shay and Kelly bought it for me for my birthday because they missed it."

"Oh cool!" He was trying to make small talk with a ten year old, it wasn't that matt was nervous around him or awkward it was just odd being in Gabby's house, her not there and her son standing in the middle of the room. "Yeah I love it ... Wanna play for a bit? Mum shouldn't be too long." James moved towards the TV, handing Matt a controller that he took gladly. "Yeah sure." Taking a seat on the floor next to James, their backs against the couch they started to playing, falling into mostly silence, the occasional chatter about the game happening. "Matt..." James spoke suddenly not even bothering to look up from the TV, "... Do you like my mum?" Matt faltered for moment, not sure what to say to the child. But James spoke instead, "It's ok if you do. She likes you too you know, she just won't say it." Matt did look towards James now, trying to understand how this little boy had such maturity.

There was silence again between them, James wanting to ask his next question, Matt noticing the boys hesitance, "James you know you can tell me anything, I'm here if you need to talk." With that James nodded, finally finding his voice again, "What was your dad like?" Matt swallowed, unsure of what to say but he knew that James never knew his dad so it was a fair question, so Matt decided the truth was best. "Well my dad died when I was about 15 years old," Matt clicked the bottoms on the controller a little more, realizing that James felt more comfortable talking if there was something else going on. "He wasn't a very nice person, he was mean to me and my mum...your mum told me that you dad died as well. Do you miss him?" James shrugged a little, he had always thought about his dad but he never actually knew him.

"I dunno, I never really knew him so I don't really miss him. I miss the idea of a dad though. You said your dad wasn't a very nice person... Did he ever hit your mum?" The question shocked Matt for a second, he really never expected it to be said, not really sure if he should tell James of not but he knew there must have been a reason why he asked. "Yeah he did, he hit me as well a few times..." He watched as James nodded, the cogs in his mind ticking over. "Mums last boyfriend hit her. She came home with a black eye then she called uncle Antonio and we came here. Mum doesn't talk about it though." Matt wanted to hug James, knowing that when he was a kid all he needed some days was a hug but he spoke instead, thinking that a change of subject might help. "Where you born here James?" James nodded, glancing up at Matt, "Yeah, we were here until my dad died and then we moved around, mum was filling in at a few different houses until something permanent came up. And now we are here, forever." He grinned up at Matt, clearly happy to be in Chicago.

Matt paused the game after a moment, turning to face James, he spoke, "I know what it's like not having someone around for you. My mum wasn't around much either after my dad died so trust me when I tell you that you are the luckiest little boy in the world to have a mother who cares about you so much. And I am always here for you, no matter what, no matter how hard or bad you think the situation is, you can talk to me." He watched as James processed his words, the way small tears formed in his eyes as the boy leaned over and wrapped his arms around Matt's neck, holding him tightly as he cried a little. "Thank you", was all he said as Matt held him, letting him know that he wasn't going anywhere. It didn't take long before James pulled away, smiling, "I'm glad you're here Matt, I'm glad my mum met you." Matt could only smile in return, glad to hear that James liked having him around. "Do you want to stay for dinner?" James asked Matt suddenly, thinking that maybe he and his mum could spend more time together.

"Ah, I dunno buddy, might have to ask you mum about that one." Matt really wanted to say yes, really wanted spend as much time with Gabby and James as possible but he couldn't just invite himself to stay for dinner, that probably wasn't the best thing to do. "Nah, it's ok. Mum won't mind, we are only heating up some little pies and party food. We do it once a month, its fun…" James as almost begging Matt to stay, something that Matt couldn't say no too but still didn't want to say yes. "How about you and me start to heat up the food for your mum and then we can see if I stay? Deal?" He wanted to compromise with the boy, hoping that Gabby would let him stay anyway. "Yeah ok, lets go." Jumping from the floor James ran into the kitchen, pulling out the food from the freezer, Matt following close behind.

Gabby pulled herself from her bedroom, she could still hear Matt inside the house, deciding to dress in something a little more appropriate than her pj's, so she settled on a pair of track pants and t-shirt, still wanting to be comfortable in her own home. Stepping out into the hall, the voices sounded distant and as she came to the lounge room, she realised that they weren't there, unsure of where the voices were she continued further into the house, finding them both standing in front of the stove, Matt, looking down at James who was smiling up at him. Gabby leaned against the doorframe, her arms crossed over her chest as she listened to them. "So you just have to remember to make sure the oven is on and then when it heats up, it should beep…" At this stage Matt knelt down and started fiddling with the oven, now at eye level with James he smiled, "…and then you just put the food in and make sure you keep an eye on it." Then it all happened in an instant, James had gently pushed Matt who stumbled before he jumped up and pulled the young boy into his arms and over his head.

"You think that was funny!?" He cried out as he turned James, throwing him over his shoulder, the room was filled with the laughter of the child and adult only to be added to when Gabby laughed out loud, loving the images in front of her, Matt turned suddenly to find Gabby standing there watching them, "Oh hey, did you know I had this growth on my shoulder?" Matt was able to balance James over his shoulder, making sure he couldn't fall he spoke to Gabby. "I think I need to have some surgery to have it removed … what do you think paramedic?" He watched as Gabby moved closer to them, James laughing and trying to get down as the adults spoke as though he wasn't even there, "Mum! Tell him to let me down! Mum!" James could barely string a sentence together he was laughing so much and it was only worse when Gabby started poking James like he was a think, "Oh yes I think it needs to be removed, something tells me that it might become too heavy soon…" and with that Matt let out a groan, dropping the boy to his feet with sigh, "Ah much better, that was a really heavy lump!"

James laughed, "I don't like you anymore Matt!" As he reached out and tried get to Matt, but Gabby had pulled her into his arms, "Oh we love you baby! Don't you worry about that!" and with a kiss on the head, James pulled away from his mother, needing to get away from the adults, "I'm not a baby mum!" He called over his shoulder as he went to the lounge to play his game, knowing that his mother would say the next line but this time it was Matt who called it out, a slightly higher voice than his own, "But you're _my_ baby…" Gabby turned towards Matt, a shocked look on her face, not expecting him to do that, she punched him gently on the arm once, trying again to only have Matt grab onto her hand, bringing her into his arms, holding her tightly. Laughing loudly she tried to pull away, her hand coming to rest on his chest as he locked his arms around her waist, "Let me go! Matt, stop it!" But he only laughed menacingly, holding her tighter as she tried to pull away, "Never letting you go now…"

His voice dropped with his last sentence, all forms of struggling ceased and Gabby just looked up at Matt, her hands rest flat on his chest as she watched him closely. This was now the third time they had been so close to each other, each time before that something pulling them apart, she just hoped that nothing did this time. Matt's hands slipped from around her waist to gently push her hair back from her face, his eyes flickering to her lips and then back to her eyes, trying to read whatever emotion she was showing. Resting his hands on her cheeks gently, Matt took a deep breath, it was now or never and so he lowered his head slowly, watching as hers raised slightly up to meet his, her eyes closing heavily when they lips touched. It was soft at first, ever so gentle but it didn't take long for Gabby to bring her hand up from his chest to around his neck, bringing him closer to her as she leaned up on her toes, Matt pulling her close to him but resting his hands back on her waist. Gabby moaned into Matt's kiss, giving him the opportunity to beg for entrance that she gave, their tongues battling pleasantly for as long as possible.

Gabby's desire took over suddenly, her hand moving from his neck to tangle in his hair, tugging gently as Matt placed his hand on the back of her head, keeping her to him now that he had her. When air become to much for them Matt and Gabby pulled apart, their foreheads resting on each other, their eyes closed, their breath coming out in puffs. Matt was first to open his eyes, finding Gabby's still closed and a lazy smile on her red lips. Leaning down he touched her lips gently again, her smile growing as he spoke, "I have waited so long to do that … I am never letting you go now…" He repeated his words from moments before, her eyes opening slowly, hooded with desire for him. Just as she leaned up again the oven beeped, sending small thumping footsteps in the direction of the kitchen, Gabby and Matt pulled apart reluctantly, a split second before James came running in, wanting to help finish with dinner like Matt had promised him.

As the night continued the tree laughed and ate, James telling stories of school while Matt told stories of his niece Violet and some of the guys from the firehouse. "Alright kiddo, way past your bedtime now, today has been a very big day…" Gabby glanced back at the clock, showing it was past 10pm and James had been up since 8.30am because he had been so excited for the BBQ. "But mum, I'm not tired…" He had to try but the look on his mothers face told him that he was getting nowhere. "Fine." James rose from his seat on the couch and made his way to his mother, who he hadn't realised but was sitting ever so close to Matt that his arm was around her shoulder, holding her close to him. "Night ma, night Matt." James hugged both his mother and Matt before heading towards his room, turning for a moment when he thought of something.

"Hey Matt, Shay said you used to play hockey, would you be able to teach me?" Matt looked back over the couch to James and smiled, "Oh course! I'd love to buddy." And with one last smile James turned back towards his room, closing the door quietly. "You don't have to teach you know, I have been looking at getting him into some classes." Gabby spoke as Matt turned back towards her, a goofy smile coming to his lips. "And why would you want someone else to teach him when I can?" She shrugged against Matt, suddenly very conscious of their proximity, she shifted in her seat, but Matt didn't let her get too far.

"Where do you think you are going?" Matt reached for her legs, swinging them over his lap so she was laying down against the couch, Matt leaning over her. "Matt what are you doing?" She laughed out loud for a moment, giggling as he showed her a look of fake shock. "Well, I am finishing what we started earlier tonight…" He leaned in again, slowly this time to let her have a chance to stop him I she wanted to, but as her arms came around his neck and a lopsided smile found her lips, Gabby brought Matt closer to her, their lips connecting fiercely. Matt shifted above her, laying himself flat against her body as their kiss continued, each wanting more of the other, Gabby's hands moving from his neck to against his back, sliding under his shirt, feeling him react to her touch, he moaned, "Gabby…" It was then he was lost, loving too much what her hands were doing to him, he moved his lips away from hers, starting little trails down her cheek and then down her neck, feeling her finger dig into his back when he found the spot on her neck that she loved.

Instinctively Gabby pushed her hips upwards to meet him as his lips assaulted her neck, sending ripples through both their bodies when her core came into contact with his hardening desire for her. The sudden contact causing Matt to falter, his mind coming back to reality, he pulled away, watching as Gabby's eyes snapped open. "I'm sorry… I didn't come here for this… I mean…" He sat up, watching as a deep blush rose in her cheeks, embarrassment settling in, Gabby cutting him off before he could continue, "No of course, it's fine…" She was hurried, her words coming out rushed as she stood from the couch, needing to get away from Matt. She was embarrassed, she had read him wrong, had completely misunderstood, he wanted to be friends, nothing more. Walking towards the kitchen to busy herself, Gabby soldered herself for being so stupid, he clearly regretted kissing her earlier in the night, obviously he had changed his mind. "Hey…" Matt had come up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, she hadn't even realised he was there. "That's not what I meant. Yes I have been dying to kiss you but I want to do this right. I know its not just you, you have to think about so I want to take this slow, want to give you everything you deserve." He placed a gently kiss on her neck, feeling her relax into his touch before she turned around and pulled him to her, her head resting on his chest and her arms around his middle, "Thank you…"

**Was that worth the wait?! **


	9. Secrets

**So I received some less that helpful reviews for like my second fic ever that has been up since like 2010 and it kinda got to me. Just got me thinking, if you don't like something don't read it and don't bitch about it. Sorry for the mini rant but I woke up to two review emails this morning and it made me a little sad. **

**So I know that it probably doesn't bother many people, because no one has really mentioned it but I apologise if some of the terminology is different to what is in the show or even spelling. 'Mum' is the big one for me, we spell it with a 'u' but more so around the fire fighter terminology. We call it 'turn out gear' as apposed to 'bunker gear' and also for us it's a 'fire station' not 'fire house' so if you come across these terms, sorry! Although thanks for the advice what was given in the last chapter, I will take it on board when writing and try and fix it, can't promise because it's habit but I will try! **

**Enjoy this chapter! :D**

**Chapter 9 – Secrets**

Gabby was nervous walking into the firehouse at the start of next shift, she hadn't really heard from Matt after he had kissed her, the occasional text message over the next few days telling her that he had a job and was flat out and she was ok with that, she didn't know what they were, or if there was even anything there and so she pulled herself together, kept her head up and made her way towards the firehouse. As she pulled up, she noticed Matt's truck already in its usually spot, she pulled in a deep breath before pushing open her door, reaching for her bag and heading in towards the locker room. As she reached the garage, she noticed that no one was around, it was only 7.40am so she figured, like always, the rest of them all would be just on time, but she was early, having dropped James off at school for his before school care, she knew that most of the house would be quiet, at least for the next 20 or so minutes. Dropping her head Gabby, sighed, kinda glad that Shay wasn't around because she didn't know how long she could keep her kiss with Matt a secret, depending on what he wanted, she also didn't know if she wanted to keep it a secret, but that would all depend on how things went between them.

It didn't take long for Gabby to get her answer either, as she moved slowly passed the Squad truck that was parked by the far side of the garage, her head down as she thought intently, she was suddenly pulled by the arm to the side of the truck, her back pressed tightly against it while her 'attacker' pressed himself against her, his lips crushing to hers deeply, Gabby instantly responding, dropping her bag and her arms wrapping around the mans neck. Gabby and Matt battled together for what felt like forever, their tongues touching in burning desire that came with a new found fire, her hands pulling tightly at the other, trying to bring them closer. Gabby instinctively groaned into Matt's mouth, causing him to lean closer to her, his lips moving from hers to her neck, trailing a passionate line from her ear to the join of her neck and shoulder, Gabby's head dropping back in pleasure as he lay kisses there. As his name tumbled her from lips Matt pulled away, his eyes hooded with desire and want, hers covered in passion and heat they stared at each other. Matt smiled as he leaned down again, this time the kiss was soft, caring, warm, "I have been thinking about that all weekend…" he whispered to her as he pull away, watching as her eyes opened ever so slowly, a smile coming to her lips.

"You and me both…" She leaned up again, running her hands through his hair, tugging his lips down to hers as she kissed him again. Suddenly they heard Shay and Kelly's laugher coming from the common room so the stopped, and stayed silent for a moment, hoping that would just continue on, but there was a pause in their conversation, Kelly asking, "What is it?" Another pause and then the footsteps continued, "Nothing, just thought I heard something as we walked in that's all." After a few moments, Gabby and Matt let out a laugh, they felt like teenagers hiding from their parents but they didn't care, it was dangerous and fun and that's what they both needed. Neither of the realising that they could be seen in the reflection of the large glass windows at the side of the firehouse, Shay and Kelly smiling to each other they saw Matt lean in again, their kiss passionate and fierce.

As Matt pulled away again, he smiled at the sight of Gabby, her eyes closed, her lips red, a smile playing there lightly. He rested his forehead against hers and sighed, "Go out with me tomorrow after shift… I want to take you out somewhere really nice…" It was barely a whisper but Gabby's eyes opened hers lip growing. She leaned up to place a soft kiss to his lips, "You know I would come go out with the moment I could but I'd need to find someone to look after James and I can't leave him at Antonio's again this week…" she looked away, really wanting to say yes but knew it wouldn't be as simple as that. He laughed gently, his hand coming to her cheek, resting there gently, "Ask Shay, I'm sure she wouldn't mind look after James." He watched as she thought it over, unsure of what to say. "I guess I could see if she is free…" Matt's smile grew, "That's my girl…" He leaned down and kissed her once more, his arms slipping around her waist to pull her towards him, then he left, picked up his bag and walked away, leaving Gabby standing there stunned.

Shaking her head, Gabby reached for her own bag and made her way inside the common room, finding Kelly already sitting in his usual spot eating his breakfast, Shay not far from him, her nose in a book. Gabby inwardly sighed; they wouldn't notice her walking in after them considering her car was already parked. As she walked passed them, Kelly didn't bother looking up but Shay did, smirking as she saw the back of Gabby's shirt was untucked, she was going to have to get all the gossip from her when they were doing a stock count. "Hey Shay, did you hear back about that call last week?" Shay's voice caught her attention and she looked up to find Matt standing in the kitchen, filling his bowl with cereal as he spoke. She blinked a few times before realising what he was talking about, "Oh yeah I did, some little dick put my number on a poster selling a car…I have a feeling I know how it was as well…" She looked around, hoping to find Otis around but he wasn't in yet, she would have to get him when he did come in. She watched as he nodded, shooting a glance in Gabby's direction, a casual 'morning' thrown at her as she walked passed, getting one in return. _Oh they were so cute!_

One by one the firehouse filled with the member's of their shift, each bitching about something but Gabby was too lost in her thoughts to care what they were talking about. She couldn't stop thinking about Matt, about how good it felt to be so close to him, to be able to kiss him and hold him, what it would be like to have sex with him…her mind faltered there for a moment, it had been a _very_ long time since she had had sex, both her situation and James just not being conducive to the chance and there wasn't anyone around that she was interested in enough to even warrant the thought. Sure she had needs, she was only human, but James always came first because he was most important. But when Matt had her pushed again the Squad truck, his hands on her body, he was opening her up to feel something she hadn't felt in a long time, if ever. He was the sort of person who could make you feel things that you had never felt before, think things that you had never thought before and it was scaring her a little. She didn't know if she could let herself feel this way about him. A hand in front of her eyes caught her attention, she blinked and looked up, finding Herman standing in front of her, Mills and Otis watching her intently, a vague awareness that Matt was also watching her, behind the rest of the group, he was smirking. "Did you say something?"

She looked at Herman and smiled a little, not even realising that he was there. "Yeah, I was asking if you had any preferences for lunch today. We are going to order in and like to have it organised early in case a call comes through…" He watched as she processed what was being said, blinking a few times as it sunk in, "Oh no I don't really, anything is find by me." She smiled again, hoping he would drop it, he didn't, "You alright, you seem very vague right now…" Gabby just smiled once more, "Yeah, no, I'm alright, just lost in thought…" Her eyes flickered ever so quickly to Matt, who was sitting there staring at her with a very pleased look on his face before he winked and rose from his seat, heading towards his office. Gabby swallowed, how could he read her so well without even knowing her that long. "Yeah alright…" Herman walked away, turning back to the rest of the group, arguing about what was going to be ordered for lunch. A sudden tap of the shoulder caused Gabby to turn, finding Shay standing behind her, her head tilted in the direction of the garage, "Let's go fill up the ambo…" Shay watched for Gabby to reply, after receiving a nod, the girls headed out to the garage, calling out the group that they would be back before heading down the drive way.

There was silence between them for a few minutes; Shay finding Gabby was staring out the window, a small smile on her face. "Alright spill, what is going on with you and Casey?" Gabby was shocked, she turned towards Shay, trying to work out how she knew there _was_ something going on, deciding the try and play it off, Gabby spoke, "Nothing is going on, why would you say that?" Shay laughed at Gabby's sudden response, "Wow, talk about defensive… tell me the truth, what is going on?" Gabby sighed, she couldn't hide it from Shay, nor did she want to. "Well, he came over the other night, after the BBQ and he kissed me…" Gabby blushed brightly, she felt like a teenager telling their mum about their first kiss. Shay squealed, "I KNEW IT!" Gabby just shook her head, "He asked me to go out with him tomorrow night after shift…I was hoping that you and Kelly could look after James for a few hours…" If it were possible, Shay's smile grew wider, "Honey he can stay the night tomorrow if you want some _alone_ time." She winked at Gabby, noticing her smile falter a little. "Hey what's wrong?" Shay noticed the change; a little worried that Gabby had changed her mind.

"Nothing …I just …I don't know if I'm ready for that just yet. I mean, it's been a long time since I had the chance to be with anyone and I dunno, I guess I'm a little worried…" Gabby had turned away from Shay, part of her glad she had Shay to talk to and part of her embarrassed that she was admitting what she was feeling. Shay glanced over at Gabby, "How long is a long time…?" it was an honest question, it must have been a long time if it was bothering Gabby so much. "Close to three years…" she mumbled, turning her head away from Shay when her mouth opened. "No way! It can't have been that long!" Gabby shrugged, they had moved around so much that she never had the chance to meet anyone, never really had the chance to go out because there was no one around the look after James. Although she had come close to the last guy she was seeing, the guy she was seeing before coming back to Chicago. "I never really had the chance to meet anyone. I either wasn't in a place long enough or because I was away from family, there was no one to look after James. Don't get me wrong, I miss it but it just didn't become important to me after a while. There was this one guy, in Boston, before we came here. He was nice, sweet, treated me well. He knew about James, met him a few times, they got a long a guess. One night, I went to have dinner at his place, a found a sitter for the night, really only for a few hours because it was supposed to just be dinner. Anyway, as usual, things became a little heated after dinner, we were making out and I dunno, I guess I just freaked out, maybe I was scared or something but I wanted to stop. That turning into an argument, he tried to force me to go further but I was able to push him away, anyway… he hit me, gave me a black eye because I wouldn't sleep with him and so I left, went straight home, we packed a week later after I got this job and we came here."

Gabby sighed, it was a long story that had only ever told Antonio, but it felt good to tell someone else, especially Shay. Shay had been silent for a few moments, not able to say anything really, she reached over and touched Gabby's hand. "I'm sorry honey. But I can promise you that Matt isn't like that, he will not try and force you into something your not ready for, if that's what your worried about." Squeezing Shay's hand, Gabby shook her head, "No, that's not it at all, I'm more worried about not …I dunno… not being good enough I guess. I mean, Matt doesn't strike me as the type of guy who would be between girls for too long or have trouble finding someone for the night if he wanted it." Gabby turned away again, not really wanting Shay to see the emotions on her face, but Shay laughed, "Gabby, that might be true, I can tell you that Matt is the most caring person I have ever met, his past doesn't matter if he is with you in the present. Now go on that date and have fun!" Shay laughed again as Gabby smiled, "Yeah, your right. Its just dinner…"

* * *

><p>While the girls were out, Kelly took the chance to go and find Matt. He had watching the encounter in the common room before the girls had left, knowing why Matt was smirking proudly, he decided to confront him about it, knowing it was also be helpful to the couple having someone who knew the truth. Knocking on Matt's door, Kelly found Matt with his head down, pen to paper and this music on softly. "Hey man, got a minute?" Matt looked up suddenly, not realising that Kelly was standing there, dropping them pen he turning in his seat, motioning for Kelly to come in, which he did, closing the door behind him. "What's up?" It was rare for Kelly to come to Matt's office, and even rarer for him to come in <em>and<em> close the door, so something must be up. Taking a seat on Matt's bed, Kelly spoke, "Well I wanted to see what reason you would give me for being so cherry today…" He wanted to give Matt a chance to come clean, hoping he would confide in his friend. Matt shrugged, "Nothing man, just having a good day…" Matt tried to play off Kelly's curiousness, wondering where he was going with it. "Well that's strange, I thought it would have something to do with the hot PIC you were making out with against my truck this morning…" Matt blushed at Kelly's words, not surprised at all that he had confronted him about it. Rubbing his hands over his face, Matt laughed, "And here I was thinking that we were hidden enough…who else knows?"

He was honestly concerned now that the whole house had seem them kissing, and not because it was supposed to be a secret, but because they hadn't even worked out what they were, so they didn't want people making assumptions just yet. Kelly shrugged, "Just me and Shay, saw you guys in the reflection as we walked passed the communications board. When did that happen?" Matt smiled, the memory of their first kiss coming back to them. "After the BBQ, I went over to give her back her jacket that she had left on the bench. James and I played some Batman and we ended up having dinner. Kinda happened somewhere just before we had dinner…" His smile grew at the thought, his body remembering the feeling it had the moment their lips touched. Kelly smiled, "Good on you man. I'm glad it finally happened, although it took you both long enough! Nah really…" Kelly leaned over and patted Matt's knee, "…you deserve the best man, after everything you've been through, you deserve it." Matt smiled, he knew what Kelly was talking about, he remembered all the heartache he went through after Hallie, he was just glad he was able to move passed it, so glad that he had started to feel something for Gabby.

"So what's she like?" Now the conversation changed, Matt rolled his eyes, "I don't know and this is _not_ a conversation I am having with you even if I did know, now if you'll excuse me, I have paper work to finish." Matt pointed to his desk, hoping that Kelly would get the idea and leave him alone, not wanting to have any conversations about him and Gabby. Kelly just nod, "Right," before standing and walking out of Matt's office, leaving him alone with his thoughts. Turning back to his paper, Matt tired to work for another ten minutes but Kelly's question kept bringing up other thoughts. Groaning, Matt dropped his pen and leaned back against the chair, his hands running over his face and into his hair. He didn't want to think about what it would be like to have sex with Gabby, a) because it was going to rile him up and he didn't need that while he was at work, b) because she was already meaning so much more to him than a lay and c) he wanted it to be special between them. Sure when he had her up against the truck this morning, he couldn't stop his body reacting to her but she was different, she was kind and honest and caring and she deserved all the best in the world and Matt was going to give it her, he was going to wait as long as it took until they were both ready, until it was it was more than just sex.

* * *

><p>Shift ended the next morning pleasantly, they had been pretty quiet which Matt was glad about, it meant that he had been able to catch up on his sleep, Gabby the same, each realising that Gabby had chosen the bunk that faced Matt's door, both of them thinking that it was maybe a sign, but neither really wanting to acknowledge it just yet. Gabby walked towards her car, Shay in toe, "So are Kelly and I looking after James tonight?" They hadn't spoken about it since the morning before, Matt and Gabby not really seeing much of each other, as the girls had been busy but the trucks had not. "Ah … yeah, why don't you and Kelly come over and you can hang out at my place…" Gabby jumped, deciding that it was time she treated herself, she smiled when Shay nodded, "Alright, let me know what time and we'll come over!" After giving Gabby a hug, she turned and walked towards the waiting Kelly, finding Matt walking to Gabby's side. "Hey so…we on for tonight?" He was nervous…she could tell. Matt was rubbing his hand against the back of his neck, she smiled, "Yep, I just asked Shay to look after James so text me what time to be ready and I'll let her know what time to come over."<p>

Matt wanted to kiss Gabby as she spoke; she had agreed to go out with him! But he knew he couldn't, although it was killing him. "Great! Well give me a few hours and I'll call you." He reached out and touched her gently, a gesture Gabby could tell was in replace of a kiss, a kiss she wad dying for as well. Nodding, she watched as Matt turned towards his truck, heading back towards his with a smile thrown over his shoulder, before she got into her own car and headed back toward her home. Finding that he wasn't ready to head home, Matt pulled into his favourite coffee shop, he knew at this time of the morning it would be pretty quiet as most people had already been heading into work or already gotten their coffee's so he ordered his usual and took a seat, enjoying the quietness of the shop. Pulling out his phone, Matt started flicking through the images on the screen. At the BBQ he had taken photos of the guys, their families, ones of him and Gabby, ones of Gabby and James, James and Shay or James and Kelly, Shay and Gabby. Many different combos that he smiled at, loving how carefree Gabby looked in each other them. There were even photos of Matt and James, playing in the soccer match, sitting at the table having laugh, that was a good day.

His coffee and muffin had already arrived, although Matt was too lost in his phone to really eat the muffin at that moment, happy to just stare at the picture of himself and Gabby, sitting next to each other, he head bowed forward as he laughed at something Herman had said, hers thrown backwards, resting against his shoulder, her mouth fully open. "Well there must be something wrong if you haven't eaten your muffin by now…" A voice pulled him from his thoughts and he looked up, shock coming to his face. There in front of him stood a tall, dark haired, beautiful woman who once held his head. "Hallie?" He was too shocked to say anything, last time he had heard from her, she was in Boston, working at one of the top hospitals there. "Hey Matt…" She took a seat opposite him, smiling, "You look good…" Matt wasn't really sure how to respond and so he nodded, "Thanks, so do you… What are you doing back here?" He honestly was shocked; her leaving was one of two reasons they had broken up, not the major one but a pretty significant one. She smiled, reaching out to touch his hand, Matt still so shocked that he didn't pull away, "Well, I was offered a top job here at Lakeshore that I couldn't pass up…this is home…" Her words held so much more than she was saying, this was not lost on Matt. "That's great Hal, I'm happy for you I really am…"

Just as she was about to speak again, her pager went off, "Sorry Matt I have to go, but we should catch up and get some coffee or something to each soon." And with that, she leaned over and placed a kiss to his cheek, Matt's eyes fluttering closed as the memories of her being so close came rushing back. But she was gone before he had a chance to reply, confusion coming over him.

Hallie was back … but he was falling in love with Gabby …already …

**Enjoy that? :D Let me know how much :D **


	10. Decisions and Truths

**Merry Christmas or whatever you should celebrate, even if its just spending time with family or friends. Hope you enjoy this chapter! :D **

**I've also been a bit down recently so the chapters aren't coming out as easily as I'd hoped especially the Dawsey stuff but I'm pushing through it so hopefully it gets better. **

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 10 – Decisions and Truths**

Gabby groaned as she stood facing the mirror in her bedroom, looking back at herself. She could vaguely hear Shay and Kelly in the lounge, laughing at the stories James was telling, giggling at the faces they were pulling, just enjoying their time together. But as she stood there, looking at herself in her black dress and black heels, she suddenly regretted agreeing to go out with Matt, she was scared of her feelings for him, scared of what they would mean for them when they were at work, scared of what it would mean to James to have him around as her boyfriend and also scared of what would happen if something were to happen to Matt. In the back of her mind that was the one thing that always sat badly for her, Chris had been killed on the job; she didn't know if she could deal with something happening to Matt, especially now that James was older.

"Wow, mum you look great!" James' voice caught her attention and she looked back into the mirror and over her own shoulder, finding him standing against the door, his arms crossed over his chest, exactly how Matt does. She smiled gently at him, "Thanks baby…what are you and Shay and Kelly going to do tonight?" She was curious as to what they had planned for their night, Shay talking it up like some huge party, although she trusted them both too much to believe they would do something stupid. He shrugged and moved away from the door, coming to sit on the side of her bed, "Dunno, they are arguing about something at the moment." There was something in the way that James spoke that caused Gabby to come to sit at his side; there was something on his mind. "What's up buddy, I can see something is bothering you…"

She watched as he shrugged again, hanging his head so he didn't have to look at her but when Gabby bumped his shoulder gently he looked up, deciding that he was going to tell him mum what had been on his mind. "I really like Matt mum, I can talk to him about anything, it's easy and it doesn't matter what I have to tell him, he is always there. He knows how it feels not to have a dad, he knows what its like to see his mum hurt by someone…he said his dad died when he was 15…" James had never told his mother than Matt knew that her last boyfriend, if you could even call him that, had hit her, he was worried that his mum would be upset with him and not want to go out with Matt. Gabby sighed, she should have expected that he knew, there was something about the way Matt touched her right cheek, it was always so much more gentle than when he touched her left, that's not to say he wasn't gently, but when his fingers barely touched her right cheek, she should have known he was being gentle.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to tell him, we were talking about his dad and it just sort of came out…" James started to rush his words as he watched his mother stare at him, not realising that she hadn't said anything in reply to his statement, but she smiled, "Baby, it's ok. You have no idea how glad I am that you have someone to talk to like Matt, it makes me so happy…" She leaned over and wrapped her arm around her son's shoulder bringing him closer, "Is it a problem if I go out with Matt?" She was curious to know if his thoughts had changed now that he had told her, she didn't want him to feel uncomfortable. "No of course not, I want you to go, I really like Matt…" She looked down at him unsure about what he was trying to say, "…then what's the problem, if you like Matt, why do you-" Then it dawned on Gabby, her son had found a father figure that he loved and he didn't know what to do about it. "Baby, do you love Matt?" James shot up off the bed, he did not _love_ Matt, he couldn't love Matt, it wasn't right …was it? "Baby, it's alright, he loves you too. Just like I love you…" James slowly took a step towards his mother, relaxing a little.

"It's not strange?" He had heard his friends talk about how much they loved their dad's but this was different, Matt wasn't his father, some days he wished he were though. "Oh course not, you like spending time with him, you are able to talk to him, you get super excited when you know you are going to see him or when you don't know and he turns up…it's alright to love him James, it's alright to let yourself love him…" Some of her words were spoken for her own benefit thankfully James didn't know that. "Alright mum, thanks…" James wrapped his arms around her neck. "I love you baby…" she placed a kiss on his cheek, laughing as she noticed the lip shaped colouring. Laughing she wiped his off. As the doorbell rang through the house, James ran from his mother's room super excited to see Matt and to see his reaction to his mum, James thought she looked beautiful, he wanted to see what Matt thought.

Gabby looked at herself once more, trying to calm her nerves about his dinner. Sure it was only a date but the feelings she had for him were sending her hormones and her mind crazy. She couldn't stop thinking about him, just wanting to be near him, wanting to feel his lips on hers—Kelly and Matt's voice pulled Gabby from her thoughts, so did the knock at her bedroom door, "You know if you stay in here forever his going to go to dinner on his own…" Gabby turned to find Shay standing by the doorway, her arms crossed and a smile playing on her lips. "You look amazing, he is going to love you in that dress…" She took a step forward and reached out for Gabby, running her hands through her hair to make sure it was sitting right, "There you go… now don't be nervous, I think he is nervous enough for the both of you, and get out there!" She pushed Gabby towards the door, laughing as she was barely able to reach for her bag. As Gabby turned the corner into the lounge, she Kelly sitting back on the couch, Matt and James standing next to each other, laughing about something as Kelly laughed from his spot.

James glanced back towards Gabby, his laughter fading but his smile growing, before he glanced up to Matt who turned slowly, his eyes widening as his smile grew, "Wow Gabby, you look amazing…" Matt shuffled on his feet as he watched her move closer and shy smile coming to her face as she took him in. He was wearing dark pants and a dark long sleeve top, his jacket over his shoulder and hands in his pocket, "Thanks, you're not so bad yourself…" She moved towards James and kissed him on the head, "Remember what I said alright, listen to Shay and Kelly or else there will be no more sleep overs at the firehouse…" James just nodded as Matt spoke, "Ready to go?" Glancing around the house, Gabby made sure she had what she needed before nodding, "Yeah, lets go…" They both threw a 'goodbye' over their shoulders as they left the house, heading down towards Matt's truck, who had opened the door for her before heading towards the restaurant.

* * *

><p>The two sat opposite each other, Matt's hand resting against Gabby's on the table as they spoke, enjoying their time together, Gabby enjoying the adult conversation. "I'm serious, I wasn't popular in high school. I mean if those girls found out that I had a son, it would have been like World War 3 and I was the country with no army." Matt laughed out loud at Gabby's analogy, finding her exaggeration adorable, she leaned over and smacked his arm, "Don't you laugh at me now as well!" This made Matt laughed harder, she was being childish, a pout coming to her lips that caused him to falter before leaning over and placing a soft but passionate kiss to her lips, a smile gracing both their faces when he pulled away, "I could never laugh at you, you're too adorable!" Gabby just rolled her eyes before looking away, needing to change the subject. "So…James told me you dad died when you were about 15…I'm sorry…" He should have expected the conversation to turn towards family, but he never was really ready for it in most conversations. Nodding slowly, he decided that Gabby was the one who he could share anything with; just like he hoped that she could tell him anything. Leaning forward onto his elbows he smiled, "Yeah he did…he was a jerk, hit my mum, was abusive towards me…my ah …"<p>

He glanced around, suddenly very self-conscious about how many people were in the restaurant as well, but when Gabby reached out and held his hand, he looked back at her, he spoke, "…My parents had separated after the police were called, he had hit me and mum flipped out…" it was an off handed statement that caused Gabby to squeeze his hand, her brow furrowing, he continued, "…anyway, one night he rang, he was sober, that was the worst part, he wanted to speak to me, stupidly I spoke to him. I still remember the sound of his voice, I remember the berating words he used, he was so cruel to the 15 year old on the other line, the 15 year old who still thought so highly of his drunk, abusive father." Matt shook his head, trying to bring his thoughts back together, "…my mum had heard it all, watched as I tried to calm him down, tried to hold myself together, but I couldn't, I remember going up to my room, I cried the whole night. I just wanted to my dad to love me, I could never understand what I had done to deserve what I got, what I did to make him hate me." Gabby moved over to the seat next to her, bringing herself closer to him, wrapping her arm around his as he continued, "The next thing I knew, the police were at my door, I hadn't even heard my mum leave the house, but she did. She'd gone to his house to confront him, they argued and she shot him. My mum killed my dad because she was so tired of the abuse, tired of seeing me so sad and hurt." He looked away from Gabby, his words coming out softly, not really wanting them to come at all.

When he looked away, there was silence, Matt thinking that maybe he'd ruined everything, who would want to be with someone who's mother killed their father, he inwardly scolded himself, he knew better than to tell her about what had happened, now she wouldn't want anything to do with him or his family. But when her hand touched his cheek he was shocked, Gabby gently guided Matt's face to turn towards her, a small smile and a tear in her eye greeting his face when he did look at her. "Thank you for telling me…" She leaned over and placed a small kiss on his lips, one that he returned after a moment, "You are an amazing person Matt, you are so strong to have been able to make it through all of that and still become the man you are today. The man who I can already see is _nothing_ like his father…" Matt returned her sad smile, glad to have her there, he pulled her in for another kiss, "Thank you being here Gabby…" but she smiled, confused as to why he would think she would be anywhere else, "…there is no where I would rather be…" She moved back to her chair opposite Matt, their hands never leaving each other's as the stared at each other. Swallowing deeply Gabby spoke, "My parents died when I was about 16 as well…car accident…" she looked away, tears coming to her eyes when she though of her parents. "Oh Gabby, I'm so sorry…" Matt leaned in further, much like she had done for him and squeezed her hand.

She looked up and smiled, suddenly realising just how much she had lost when she was younger, her parents, Chris. "We were heading to see Antonio and Laura, they had moved into their new place, the one they are still in now, and I remember arguing with my dad about something, I think I wanted to go out with Chris to a party or something but he wouldn't let me because he was older than me and he was worried, completely understandable that he was worried about me now." Gabby laughed a little; considering almost a year later she had found out she was pregnant to him. "I don't actually know exactly what happened in the end but I remember my dad reaching over for my mum, his arm going over her lap, almost trying to protect her. We had hit some ice, the car swerved and then I woke up in the hospital two weeks later, Antonio asleep in the chair next to me. I couldn't believe it at first, couldn't understand why I had survived and they hadn't, but I was alone. I went a little off the rails for a while, then I found out I was pregnant and it kinda kick my ass." Matt just listened intently to everything she had to say, taking it all in. She had lost so much, almost losing her life as well; he couldn't imagine what his life would be like without her. "I'm sorry Gabby." She looked back at him, "I'm sorry too…"

Clearing her throat Gabby leaned forward; needing to change the subject, "So, tell me about Matt Casey…" She smiled when he groaned, he hated tell him people about himself. "Well when I played hockey as a kid, all the way up until I finished school, I had the chance to be able to play in college but didn't want to, I wanted to be a fire fighter, I wanted to prove my father wrong, that I wasn't useless, so I applied to the CDF when I was 18, and while I waited for my letter to come to say that I had been accepted I learned a trade, worked with a friend's dad in construction, worked through my apprenticeship even once I was accepted in the CFD, I just loved working with my hands." Matt smiled, he was proud of himself, proud of everything he was able to accomplish on his own, "I now also own my own business which makes my days off good, gives me something else to do and give me a little extra money, which you know is helpful…" He smiled when she nodded, Gabby in agreeance. "I have an older sister who is currently getting divorced from her ass of an ex, wanted to leave her with nothing as he rode off into the sunset with his receptionist, I couldn't let that happen so I had someone look into her husband, found that he was doing bad things through his company so I threatened him, now she has a home and money and is happy. She has a daughter, which you already know, Violet…." Matt thought for a moment, there was one thing that was sitting on the edge of his tongue, he didn't want to hide it, he just wasn't sure it was the right thing to say.

Taking a breath, Matt finished the sentence, "…I was engaged once as well. We had been together for about 8 years, we had met when we were 20." Gabby's face fell, he had been engaged and it clearly hadn't worked out for him, she was sad, sad that he had to go through all of that. "What happened?" She couldn't stop the words as they came out, instantly regretting them but when Matt smiled back at her a small amount of relief washed over her. "We were just too different, she is a doctor, I was desperate to start a family, the one thing I ever really wanted was a family of my own but she wasn't ready, with her residency and study. We had broken up a few times in the later years of our relationship but had always found each other, then one shift I had to deliver a baby on the side of the road and it was amazing. It was the best experience of my life I wanted all of that. I told her I wanted to start a family, I told her I wanted a baby…then she turned around and said that she didn't ever want kids. She would have had one if it happened for us because I wanted one but she didn't want to have kids." Matt laughed to himself after a moment, "God, I was even ready to give up on my dreams of having a family to be with her, that's the sad thing. Anyway so we separated for good and then she left for Boston, which was also a reason why we broke up, she wanted me to move with her and I didn't want to leave 51."

Gabby had sat silently through his story, partly sad that he had been hurt so bad but also partly happy that they had broken up because it meant that he didn't leave 51 and that he was still there for her to meet him. Tangling their fingers together she smiled, "You have no idea how strong you are Matt. Although…I'm glad you stayed…" She blushed, not wanting to be selfish but she really was happy that he didn't move to Boston. He smiled back, "You have no idea how happy I am that I stayed in Chicago… I actually saw her this morning, I was getting coffee, apparently she is back in Chicago now…" Gabby's smile disappeared telling Matt that he had finally said too much. "Hey… I am here with you…there is no where else I would rather be or anyone else I would rather be with." The moment his words left his mouth he knew that he shouldn't have said them, not because it was a secret that she was back, chances were very high that they would run into her at Lakeshore at some stage but because he knew that Gabby would now be self-conscious, worried that he would go back to her. "I'm here with you Gabby…" She just nodded, glad that their dinner had arrived so they could move on from this topic. As they ate, Gabby and Matt fell back into light conversation, laughter and teasing, it was so natural for them, so easy, nothing bothered them, they were just happy being with each other.

As they left the restaurant, Matt wrapped his arm around Gabby's shoulder bringing her into his side, placing a kiss on the top of her head, "I think that was the best dinner I have ever had!" He laughed as she shook her head, "You haven't had anything until I cook for you…" She stopped, bringing him to face her, her arms wrapping around his neck tightly, "And I will cook for you…" She pulled him down to kiss her, needing to do the one thing that had been on her mind since their conversation about Hallie. They stood in the middle of the street for a few moments, the world falling away around them as they kissed, taking in everything about the other person as they could. As Mat pulled away, the need for air too much he smirked, "Oh I will definitely take you up on that offer Miss Dawson…"

He kissed her again, moving towards the car. The drive home was quiet, small talk being made between them, their hands clasped together between them, it was almost 11pm, Gabby knew that James would have been asleep by now, glad she could just come home and change and go to bed, it had been a long day. As he pulled up outside her home, Matt turned towards her, "There is a the annual Fire Fighter Dinner coming up in a few months, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me…?" Matt waited, watching as her smile grew, "Of course, I'd love to go with you…" She leaned over and touched his lips with her, "Thank you for an amazing night Matt, dinner was great and your company was alright…" She smiled as she turned away, laughing as he pulled her back towards him, "Oh just alright huh?" He pulled her close, their lips crashing together, fighting for dominance before pulling away.

"So…something has been playing on my mind all night…" Gabby scooted closer to Matt, being able to sit next to him in the truck was great, she leaned his head on his shoulder, feeling him nod against her, "…what does this mean for us?" She moved her hand between the two of them, motioning about their changing relationship. Matt released the breath he had been holding, not really sure where she was going with that statement, "Well, there is no one else I want to be with… and I want the world to know you're my girl _but_ we can keep this quiet for as long as you want. I know that it's important for us both to know that this is serious and stable, for us both but also for James so I'm ok with just us knowing, if that's what you want." Gabby looked up at Matt, in complete awe of how he could read so easily. She smiled, a smile that told him everything he just said she agreed with, his smile turning mischievous suddenly, "And besides, I think this could be fun, we have lots of places around the firehouse to hide…" He leaned down, placing a slow and passionate kiss on her lips to prove his point, both their minds going back to the morning before, their bodies pressed tightly to the side of the Squad truck. "You should go, I think Shay and Kelly will wanna head home…" Matt placed another kiss on her lips before she removed herself from the truck, a small wave in his direction as she opened the door and let herself in, finding Kelly and Shay asleep on the couch, both looking exhausted.

Smiling to herself Gabby shook Kelly's arm, "Hey Severide, you and Shay can wake up now…" With another shake Shay shot up, finding Gabby staring down at her, her bag in one hand and her shoes in the other. "Is it home time already?" Shay's voice stirred Kelly from his sleep and he blinked up at Gabby yawning before stretching. "I don't know how you do it Dawson, that kid has too much energy!" Kelly leaned over and hugged Gabby goodbye, Shay following suit, sending a 'we will talk next shift' over her shoulder as the door shut. Sighing happily to herself, Gabby looking quickly in on James finding him sound asleep in his room before heading back up the hallway to hers, really needing to lay down. Changing from her dress to her pj's Gabby smiled happily to herself, thinking only of Matt as she closed her eyes, her dreams full of images of the two of them.

**Love?**


	11. Stunning

**In honour of the 103 reviews I now have …here is the next chapter! :D**

**Only because I LOVE Casey's interaction with Ted Griffin in the first season is where this came from. I'm a little worried it's out of left field but it has been playing in my head for a while. Let me know what you think **

**I also don't know how I feel about this chapter… especially the Gabby/Casey parts. Like I said before I want this to be natural and slow but I don't know if it feels too rushed… thoughts?**

**Chapter 11 - Stunning**

Gabby wandered into the firehouse the next shift smiling happily to herself after her date with Matt, he was so amazing, they had so much fun and she couldn't have been happier with how it had gone, granted she had panicked a little when he talked about his ex fiancé and how he had seen her that morning but he had reassured her that he wanted nothing to do with her, and she took that, having seen no reason to think otherwise. Packing her things into her locker, Gabby felt almost giddy, waiting for the moment Matt would walk in, wanting to see what he would do, although they had spoke about keeping their relationship to themselves, just until they were sure and settled, however she didn't know how long that would actually last. Hearing footsteps coming towards the locker room, she waited, sighing inwardly when she noticed Shay coming towards her, a smile to match Gabby's, "Oh well hello there!" She bound up to Gabby, she hands coming to her shoulders.

"You owe me details about your date!" Just as Gabby was going to speak, Matt, Herman and Cruz walked in side by side, chatting about the Hawks game from the night before. "Hey Dawson, Shay" they each spoke, greeting each other, Matt's eyes flickering to Gabby's longingly. "Morning Dawson." He slipped past her, his hands brushing past her back innocently, however it sent shivers up Gabby's spine, yeah their secret wouldn't last long if he was going to do stuff like that. "Morning Casey" she replied, getting her voice back pausing when the alarms went off. "_Ambulance 61, woman in distress. 58 Chandler Road"_ nodding to Matt and flashing him a knowing smile, Gabby and Shay headed off towards the ambo, a sense of understanding that this shift was going to be a long one.

"So...how was your date?" Shay turned down another street, really wanting to know about their date, really wanted to know what had happened. Gabby turned to Shay, a smile playing on her lips as she lifted her right foot to rest of the dashboard. "It was great, he took me to a really nice restaurant, it was small, quiet but really nice. We talked for hours about lots of different things. He told me about his family…about growing up, about his construction business. It was really nice…" Shay glanced over to Gabby, shocked that Matt had told her about his family already but she knew how he felt about her, Shay knew that Matt had fallen for Gabby and so he wanted to make sure she knew everything about him. "We had a great time…" She could tell there was more to the story than Gabby was giving, wanting to keep something to herself but Shay wouldn't let her.

"And the two of you…" She pushed, not being able to contain her desire to know all the details, Gabby just laughed. "Well we talk about it and we want to keep it quiet for as long as possible, just want to make sure that it was right for us both, especially with James but he is amazing…he even asked me to the Fire Fighter's Dinner…" Shay's smile grew at the thought of Gabby and Matt being together, she was happy for them, although now she didn't have to listen to Matt whine about wanting to be with Gabby. "I'm glad for you both, I really am!" As they pulled up the scene in front of them, Gabby and Shay slipped back into paramedic mode, assessing the scene and making their way to the victim.

* * *

><p>Gabby rested her arms on the side of the gurney as she laughed at Shay, waiting for her to fill out the paper work she needed to after dropping thief patient off. "I'm serious, when I see Otis I'm going to kick his ass into next week!" Gabby only laughed harder, she loved watching Shay get riled up, it always made her laugh. Shay groaned as Gabby continued to laugh, kicking the side of the gurney gently so it moved under gabby, hitting her shin, "Ow! That hurt!" Gabby leaned down to rub her shin, Shay laughing deeply at her friend's pain. Although after moment the laughter stopped and as Gabby raised her head to see what Shay was staring at she found a tall dark haired woman coming their way, gabby didn't even have a chance to ask Shay who she was before the woman spoke.<p>

"Hi Shay! How are you?" The woman hugged Shay, who looked a little lost although who hugged back. "Hallie, what are you doing here?" Gabby straightened her back at the name, yes she knew that Hallie was back but seeing her now, concerned her. Hallie was stunning, she was tall, with flowing dark hair, long legs and a flawless face. She was a bit taller than Gabby and her smile lit up the room. "Couldn't resist an offer to come home. I though Matt would have told you-" At the sound of Matt's name Shay's brain kicked into gear. "Hallie, this is our new PIC Gabby Dawson. Gabby this is Hallie Thomas..." Shay watched as Gabby swallowed, forcing a smile as she shook Hallie's hand. "It's nice to meet you Gabby…51 is a great place to work, everyone there is great. I should know…" She laughed, completely unaware that Gabby was battling down the desire to slap the woman, and she didn't even know why. Forcing another smile Gabby spoke, "Thanks, yea I'm really enjoying it. Everyone has been really great."

Just as Hallie was about to speak, her name was called out over the counter, a nurse needing her help. "Sorry I have to head off…Shay can you let Matt know I might come by the house to see him soon? Let him know I wanna see him again…" Hallie felt them then, not even bothering to look back at Gabby who was fuming, her jaw clenched but tears filling her eyes. She was furious, not at Hallie or Matt but at herself, how could she let herself fall for someone when he had an ex that looked like Hallie, and that wanted to see him again. A hand touched her shoulder, gaining Gabby's attention, "Hey lets get back to the house, I'm sure lunch will be ready soon and I for one do not want to have the left overs again…" She nodded towards the doors, watching as Gabby silently nodded, moving back towards the ambo, still not saying a word.

The ride back to the house was silent, you could have heard a pin drop if it weren't for the engine running. Shay tried to start a conversation with Gabby but every time she looked over to see Gabby, she was staring out the side window, her hands clenched on her lap, her jaw locked and even a small tear finding it's way down her cheek. Reaching over for her hand Shay sighed, "Listen to me Gabby, it's going to be ok. Matt doesn't want anything to do with her…trust me…" Gabby didn't even bother nodding, didn't even bother answering, she didn't even bother turning her head towards Shay, she just stared out the window as they pulled up to the garage of the firehouse, finding Cruz, Mills, Herman and Matt outside near the front of the trucks, they were playing a bit of basketball, laughing as Cruz missed another shot.

Gabby jumped from the rug, heading straight passed the group, shrugging off the smile that Matt shot her as she passed, his brow furrowing confused as Shay came to his side, glad that the others had continued to play. "Was the call alright?" He was concerned that something bad had happened on the call; he had never seen her act this way. Shay sighed, shaking her head, "Yeah the call was fine…we ah…we just came back from Lakeshore…" Shay didn't even need to say anymore as the realisation dawned on Matt. He groaned under his breath and rubbed his head, turning he headed inside, looking for Gabby. He found her sitting in the locker rooms, her back to the entrance, hunched over, he could see her hands shaking slightly at her side. Swallowing Matt spoke, "Gabby…" His voice had made her jump, she threw her phone into her locked suddenly before her hands raised her face, clearly wiping away a tear that had fallen, she finally turned to him.

"Hey, sorry I didn't see you there…" She stood quickly, closing her locker and faced him. Matt took another step forward, watching as the look in her eyes changed, sadness coming over her. "Are you alright?" He was very worried about her, very concerned about what she was feeling and thinking. "Yeah, yea I'm fine. Just ah…" But the look on Matt's face told her not to even bother trying to brush this off; he could read her better than that. Sighing she took a seat on the bench, hearing him move towards her side, sitting down slowly. After a few moments of silence, Gabby found the courage to speak, "She's beautiful…" She couldn't bring herself to look at Matt, not wanting to see what was displayed on her face. She felt stupid for being this upset, he himself had said that he wanted to be with her but she had gotten so used to being alone and being hurt that now that she finally had someone she wanted, she was scared he would change his mind.

"You're beautiful…" Matt spoke softly, watching as she turned her head away from him a little more, not wanting him to see the tear that slipped from her eyes, but he saw it and once it fell to her shin, he brushed it away, reaching for her hand and leading her towards his office, wanting to speak to her in a more private situation. Closing the door, he watched as she sat on his bed, her back against the wall and her legs brought to her chest, still not looking at him. "Hey…talk to me…" He sat next to her, reaching for her hand again, holding it limply in his. He wanted to know what she was thinking, wanted to know what was going on in her head. Gabby shrugged, "I just…I met Hallie today and she was stunning and she talk about you like she wanted to get back together with you… I mean, come on Matt, why else would she move back to Chicago…she said to tell you that she wanted to see you again, that she was going to come by the firehouse to see you…" Now Gabby did look at Matt, wanting to see his reaction to her words.

As she looked over at him, Gabby found him staring at her, focusing on her as she spoke, "I'm sorry… it's my fault, I never told her I was seeing someone and to be honest I was too shocked to see her in Chicago again to have even thought about it. I promise you that I thought she was still in Boston…" At that stage Gabby had turned her whole body towards Matt, her hand gently tightening around his. "Gabby, I want to be with you…I care so much about you…I mean you are the only woman I want…" He wasn't going to tell her he had fallen for her, yes they had known each other for just over 6 months but they had only just started dating and he didn't want to scare her away, but he _had_ fallen for her a long time ago. In spite of herself Gabby laughed, wiping another tear away, "God I feel so stupid, I don't know why I am so upset about this…I'm sure _this_ is making you want to get involved with me. She just, everything about her screamed beautiful…"

Matt could see in Gabby's eyes that she wasn't confident in herself, she didn't see herself as beautiful or stunning or amazing or any other positive words he could describe her as, and he could also see that was why she was so upset. Hallie was beautiful, there was no denying it but Gabby was beautiful in a different way, looks yes she was gorgeous but it was everything about her that he found beautiful. "I guess what makes it harder, her being here, is that you still love her-"

Matt blinked at her words, a little shocked that she has said that, he protested, "Gabby, it's been almost four years since I had seen her, I don't love her anymore…" But Gabby shook her head, "Yes you do, a part of you still loves her, a part of you will always love her, just like a part of me will always love Chris…the difference is that only one of them can come back into our lives and make someone realise that they had it better before…" Gabby looked away then, her mind running a mile a minute at the thought of Matt leaving her for Hallie, leaving James…

"Gabriella Dawson, you listen to me…" He leaned over reached for her face, bringing it to face his, "…Yes maybe a small part of me will always love Hallie, we were together for 8 years, it would only be natural but it's over, it will always be over and the only person I want to be with is sitting on my bed. It's you Gabby, no one is better than you, you are gorgeous and I will spend everyday making you see that if I have to…" He leaned forward then watching her closely as his lips touched her, sighing inwardly when she closed her eyes and kissed him back, smiling as she pulled away, leaning her head on his shoulder, "God, I'm sorry…this really isn't what you want out of a girlfriend is it? I promise I'm not always this much drama…" She smiled against his shoulder, as he laughed, moving so he could look her in the eyes, "My girlfriend… that has a nice ring to it doesn't it?" She laughed again, rolling her eyes. "It does, doesn't it?"

Matt's smile faded slightly as he spoke, his tone turning a little more serious, "Hey, it's ok. I'm sure I would be feeling the same thing you are right now if the roles were reversed. I don't mind a bit of drama, as long as there is some romance as well…" He laughed as she nodded, her smile growing, "Well let's see what we can do about that…" Slowly, seductively she leaned over and placed a small kiss on the side of Matt's mouth, feeling his hands tighten around hers as she did so, giggling as Matt laid her down quickly, rest on top of her as he kissed her deeply, "You drive me crazy…" He mumbled as they kissed again, enjoying each other's company, away from the real world.

The sharp knock on the door pulled them both from each other, Matt sitting up quickly thinking he had left the blinks open but glad he had kept them closed from the night before, they both held their breath unsure of who it was that was knocking, sighing happily when it was only Shay, "Hey sorry guys, but Chief wants us in the conference room…" Smiling at each other when they heard Shay's steps retreating, Mat lifted Gabby from the bed, placing another gently kiss on her lips before they headed towards the rest of the group.

As they entered the conference room, Matt stood with his back against the wall, this arms crossed as he chatted to Kelly, who was standing in the same manner, he was acutely aware that Gabby had taken a seat at the table in front of him, her back to him showing off her curves as she sat, he inwardly groaned but held himself together, Shay sitting sideways on the chair so she could laugh at something Gabby had said. As the group chatted Boden walked in, the doors to the left swinging open, the group quietening down as the guest walked in.

"Everyone this is Ted Griffin from the Department, he will be here with us on shift for the next two weeks to complete the department's audits." Boden turned to his men, finding them staring at the new man in their firehouse, unsure of how to take his presence, Gabby not really understanding why though, what was the problem with the Department doing an audit she didn't know but from behind her, Gabby felt Matt become very tense, she didn't even have to look at him to know that something had changed in him. "Thanks Chief. I just want you all to know that I am not here for any particular reason, the department is just bringing in yearly audits to make sure everything is being run by the book and it above board…" At this stage Griffin was looking directly at Matt, their eyes locked in what seemed to be a heated battle of nerves, "…I appreciate and expect everyone's _complete_ cooperation over the next two weeks.

Griffin had barely finished speaking when Matt pushed himself from the wall, intent on heading out the door and back to his office, but Griffin's voice stopped him, "Lieutenant Casey, how about you first…" Everyone turned to find Matt standing with his back to the group, his hand on the door and his shoulder tight. There was silence in the room as Matt look down and to the side, seeing Griffin out of the corner of his eye before he turned back to face him, clearly furious that the man was in his fire house. Matt crossed his arms over his chest and waited, not wanting to bring too much trouble to the house but he knew that he was going to have trouble controlling himself so he did not speak, just waited to see what Griffin would do. "…I will come and find the rest of you during the day to check in." The two men focused on each other as the rest of the group moved from the conference room.

Once they were alone, Griffin spoke, "Casey, I just wanted to tell you that I will be watching this house closely. I want to make sure everything is being done by the book." Matt huffed in his spot, thinking of what to say that would come off as professional but also not backing down. "What do you expect to find here Griffin? And tell me, out of all the houses and the shifts, you just happen to end up on this one … what do you really want?" Before Griffin could reply the doors opened again, Boden was standing there watching his Lieutenant face off against the other man, both with their arms crossed, both not giving an inch. "Casey, I need you out here, we have a school group." Matt stood for a moment, debating whether he should listen to his Chief or not but deciding that it was probably not a good idea, he nodded and left, also knowing that the Chief was there to make sure it all was kept under control.

"You're right Chief, the kids are waiting…" He turned from the Chief, sending him a quick glance before giving him a knowing nod, telling him that he would speak to him after the school group. As he walked, Matt dropped his head, he _hated_ Griffin, he really was going to have to make sure he had everything under control while he was around, more to the point, he needed to keep himself under control. As he turned the corner to make his way back to the garage when someone standing in front of him stopped him, with his head down he bumped into the other person, "Oh sorry…" As he looked up he found Gabby standing in front of him, a concerned look on her face. "Hey, you alright?"

Gabby crossed her arms over her chest, "I should be asked you that, are _you_ alright?" Gabby reached out her hand to touch his arm, worried about his interaction with Griffin, Matt only smiled and placed a very quick kiss on her lips, "I'm fine, I promise…now…lets get going, these kids aren't going to entertain themselves…" he moved around, missing the small knowing smile that she gave him, then how it fell when she saw Griffin standing by the window, his arms crossed and his eyes on her, although his stare was different and she couldn't place it. Furrowing her brow and turned her back to him, intent on finding the only person who she knew could make Matt feel better…and as she walking into the garage she found it. Matt stood by the side of the Truck, a few kids standing by his side as he spoke about the truck, James standing right against his side, Matt's arm around his shoulder as his smiled at something Matt had said.

Gabby smiled as she watched Matt interact with the kids, glad to see that he was a little happier than the moments ago when he had left the conference room. "I'd watch him if I was you…" A voice next to Gabby caught her attention and she looked to the side, finding Griffin standing there, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face as he stared at Matt. "I don't know what you're talking about." She turned back to see Matt smiling down at James, rubbing his head before he moved towards the truck, opening the door for the kids to jump in.

"Casey… I'd stay away from him. He is a jerk with a temper that you can't trust." Gabby didn't want to risk looking at Griffin because if she did she couldn't trust herself not to slap the jerk. "Even if there was something between me and Casey, which there isn't," She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing something was going on between them, "He is nothing like what you think he is, so don't try and intimidate me." Now she did turn towards Griffin wanting to see the look in his eyes when she spoke again, "He has been nothing but welcoming, this whole house has so if you think you are going to find anything here, that would cause problems for this house, you have another thing coming."

As she spoke, James had rushed up to his mum, glad to finally see her. "Mum! Matt said I can go on the back of the truck! Can I?" James bounced happily as he waited for his mother's reply, which he received as a smile and a nod before he ran back to Matt, waiting patiently for his turn on the ladder. "I'd be very careful about who I let into my son's life…especially those with a Casey name…" Gabby watched as Griffin walked away from her, his sickening smile sending shivers down her spine, Gabby dropping her head, trying to shake the uneasy feeling she got from him.

Matt had looked up when James had run back to him, glad that Gabby trusted him enough to let James join in with the rest of the group, which he never really doubted, he just wanted to make sure that Gabby was ok with it. As he looked up he noticed Griffin standing by Gabby, talking into her ear before sending a glance and a smug smile in his direction, walking away and leaving Gabby standing there, her head down, her bottom lip in her mouth, something she only did when she was nervous. Anger flared up inside of Matt to know that she was nervous around Griffin, that he made her nervous, just one more thing he could add to the list of reason's why he hated Griffin.

**So thoughts on how this feels? Is the relationship too rushed or pacing ok? I'm just not too sure how I feel about it. **


	12. Sucker Punch

**Hey all! So this is the HAPPY NEW YEAR chapter as today is New Years Eve for us in Australia … so HAPPY NEW YEAR! :D **

**Thanks for all the love with the last chapter, I am so happy you are enjoying this story; it will be getting even more exciting soon, I promise! **

**Also I just started watching HOUSE and I love Chase, must be the Aussie in me but I love the looks on his face, he is so clueless! Anyway on with the Chicago Fire story… **

**Chapter 12 – Sucker Punch **

Gabby had been sitting quietly in the common room on her laptop as she happily sat alone in the common room; Otis and Cruz had taken over from Matt and Kelly and had begun to talk to the kids about fire safety, leaving Matt to wander into the common room, his mind only on one thing. Finding Gabby sitting alone, he walked up to her, took the seat next to her and spoke quietly, "Hey are you ok? I saw you with Griffin before and I just wanted to make sure you were ok…" He could tell there was something going on with her, something that he wanted to know more about but she was turning away from him and he wasn't sure why. Gabby watched Matt for a few moments before answering, she had been thinking about what Griffin had said and although she knew Matt better than Griffin ever could and she trusted him with her life, she still felt uneasy about Griffin and was concerned that something was going to happen.

So opting to cover the truth, she smiled, "I'm fine Matt, really. Just a bit tired…" She looked back at her laptop, honestly knowing that Matt wasn't going to drop it but she had hoped that he would. She felt him touch her hand, Gabby let out a shaky breath as he did so, "Hey, I know something is wrong…what's up?" He leaned in a little further, his free hand closing her laptop slowly, silently telling her that it was ok to talk to him. Dropping her shoulders and sighing, Gabby turned towards Matt, her hands moving from the table to rest on his legs, out of the view of the rest of the house but still needing the warmth in his contact. She swallowed, this was either going to be laughed off or it was going to send Matt crazy considering he already had an issue with Griffin being in the house. Sighing she spoke, "Honestly it's nothing…just he, Griffin, made me feel really uneasy, he told me to be careful of you…but he also talked about James and I dunno, he just made me feel weird."

Matt's brow scrunched up in anger, he couldn't believe that Griffin had gone to speak to Gabby about him but to mention James and bring him into the conversation like she wasn't a good mother made him furious. Something must have changed in Matt's eyes as he sat with Gabby because her hands left his knees to come to rest on his cheeks, glad that no one else was around in the common room to see them, "Hey, it's ok. Really, he is just a creepy guy…" With a quick glance around the room to make sure no one had walked in in the few seconds since she had looked before, Gabby leaned forward and placed a small kiss on Matt's lips, feeling him return it gently, he relaxed under her touch. "OK, but I want to know if he says anything else to you or tries anything. That guy is bad news…" Matt reached out and brushed the hair away from her face, smiling softly at her, confused as she laughed at him though. "What's so funny?"

Gabby's smile grew as Matt's confusion did, "He just said the same thing about you, that's all…" The look in Matt's eyes changed with her words, a more cheeky smile coming to his face, "Well, I can be bad…" and with that he leaned forward again, placing a kiss just on Gabby's jawline, smirking as she pulled away, "Stop it Casey!" Their laughter was greeted with the sound of the group coming back into the room, "And this is where we finish the tour, the common room!" Cruz pointed out the group as they looked around, each in awe at the size of the house. Gabby glanced over to see James standing by the side of the group, smiling as he looked around as well. "How come you didn't tell me he would be here with his class?" Matt spoke quietly to Gabby, not wanting to bring too much attention to them.

Gabby blinked, turning her attention to Matt as she spoke, "Well, that's not actually James' class, he missed out when his class was brought here so they told him he could come with this group and I didn't tell you because I knew how happy you would be to see him, he also wanted to surprise you…" Matt shook his head at her, his smile growing, "Yea that's true, I was surprised to see him, although he looks so happy to be here…Is he staying tonight?" Gabby had thought about having him at the house over night again but now wasn't sure about it with Griffin there. "I dunno, I wanted him to be here but what would Griffin do?" She honestly didn't know what the rules were about having kids in the house over night, she assumed it wasn't a big deal or else Chief wouldn't have let him but she wasn't completely sure. Matt shrugged, "Nah it's ok, as only as they don't come on calls, they are right to stay. Come on, he will be so happy to stay here tonight…"

Gabby knew she was fighting a losing battle, not only would James fight her to stay but she also knew that Matt and Shay and Kelly would fight her, each of them really wanting the kid to hang around. "I'm not going to win this if I say no am I?" A smug childish smile came to Matt's face as he shook his head, telling her that there was no way that she was going to win. Dropping her head Gabby laughed, "Alright fine!" Standing she moved towards James, talking to him for a few minutes before Matt saw James' smile widely, nodding quickly before turning back to the group and following them outside, each of the waving a goodbye to the firemen as they left, the fire fighters waving as well. "See told you he would be happy…" Again the smug smile came to Matt's face and all Gabby could do was slap him gently upside the head as she passed, heading back towards the ambo where she knew Shay was.

Finding Shay sitting on the back of the ambo, Gabby took a seat next to her, smiling as she put her arm around Gabby's shoulder, "How are you doing? Enjoying the drama that comes with 51?" She laughed, watching as I shake my head, "I can't believe how much drama _does_ go on here! It's crazy!" Gabby looked around, glad that they were alone, she continued, "I like it though, I'm glad that I came here." Shay smiled wider, bringing Gabby into a hug, "I'm glad you're here too! Not only because this doesn't make me the only girl in the house but I like having you around, I feel like I have known you forever!" Gabby hugged Shay back, happy that she had found her friendship, glad that she felt the same. "I know how you feel Shay, I really do…"

"So tell me what it was like for Leslie Shay growing up..." It's had come to Gabby's attention that she actually didn't know much about Shay as a kid, she knew a lot about her now, probably more than enough about her but what she was like as a child was a bit of a mystery. Shay laughed and looked over at gabby, smiling as her friend turned towards her with a smile on her face. The girls had gone out for a drive, needing to get out of the house while the boys found more ways to prank their friends, something the girls wanted no part of so they'd left. Shay shrugged as she turned down a street, finding themselves driving over her favourite bridge. "Not much to tell really, grew up with my parents, did ok in school, family was really supportive of me when I told them I was gay, decided to become a paramedic after one saved my life, got placed at a few different houses before coming to 51 about 5 years ago and I've loved it ever since."

Shay glanced over at Gabby, watching as she nodded her head, "Sounds like you had a good time growing up. Where are you parents now?" Gabby was sure that Shay had told her where her parents are but she couldn't remember. "Oh you know what! They would love you! Next time they are down you should meet them." Shay smiled over at gabby and at the thought that of her parents meeting her best friend, "And they are from Washington. Not much happens out there." Gabby nodded again; realizing that she had said a paramedic saved her. "What happened to you?" A confused look came over shays face as she pulled up to the curb, jumping out as she headed towards the juice shop. "You said a paramedic saved you..." Realization came to shays face, she nodded, "Well I had a few friends who liked to do stupid things, we got into a bit of trouble at an abandoned house, I fell through the old stairs and was impaled on a paid r of wood, the saved my life. Got me breathing again, got me to the hospital in time. I owed them everything but it helped me make up my mind what I wanted to do with my life."

Gabby waited patiently for Shay to get her drink, looking out at the slowly changing whether, knowing it wouldn't be long until the nice warm days turned cold and the snow would settle in. As they walked back to the ambo, Gabby sighed, "James told me he wants to be a fire fighter..." Shay's smile fell as the turned to face Gabby, not sure why she found that as a bad thing. "And that's bad because..." She watched gabby shrugged, "I dunno, I mean, his dad was a cop who died on the job and we and I have seen our fair share of injured fire fighters, I just don't know if I can deal with that worry everyday, you know?" Something in the way that Gabby spoke made shay think that there was more to the story than what she was saying. "Does this have anything to do with Casey?"

Gabby groaned, dropping her head, "Yea…I'm just, I don't know why I'm so worried about him, I think that might be the only reason why I haven't told James about us yet, because I'm so scared that if I do, something might happen to Matt and I don't want him to have to go through all that again. I was just so lucky that he was so young when his father died, that he doesn't really remember it." Shay nodded, she understood what it was like to worry about the person that you loved. She worried about Severide all the time, but she knew it was his job but she got why Gabby was worried, she understood that it was his job as well, but she also knew that James would no doubt struggle if he lost the person that had essentially become a father to him.

"Maybe you should talk to Casey about it? I mean, just let him know that you are worried that something might happen and you're worried about how James will cope, how you _both_ will cope." Gabby shot a look to Shay who only laughed gently, "It's not a bad thing to think about yourself Gabs, I mean you and Matt have been beating around the bush with each other for almost the last 6 months and so that mean real feelings have grown for the both of you. It's ok to think about yourself sometimes as well ya know…" Gabby knew Shay was right, she always put off thinking about herself and how she would react or cope in a situation because she always felt that James was most important but having Matt in her life was making her realise that she did need to think about herself and her own feelings as well. Sighing, Gabby dropped her head, "Yeah, you're right, I should talk to him, I just…I don't want to become to needy girlfriend already…."

Gabby looked up confused as Shay laughed, "You said girlfriend…" Rolling her eyes, Gabby leaned over and slapped her arm, "It's not the time for joking! I don't want to freak him out, I think I already did that with the whole Hallie thing…" Gabby could honestly say that she was embarrassed about how she had acted when she had met Hallie, how she had to have Matt comfort her about it, she really didn't want to become that girl. "Hey, trust me, he doesn't see you like that. I have never seem Casey this way, even when he was with Hallie so trust me, its going to take more than a needy girlfriend to push him away." Shay flashed a smile to Gabby, receiving one in return, "Thanks Shay." It was sincere; every look or comment that Gabby gave to Shay was completely sincere. "Hey what are best friends for?" Shay smiled, before heading back towards the house.

"Ah 'Tenant, thought I'd let you know that Griffin is asking the men if they trust you, or if they would follow you no matter what. He is also asking if there has ever been a time that we didn't..." Herman spoke quietly in Matt's ear, watching as the young lieutenant's head shot up quickly, searching the room for Griffin, growling under his breath as he watched him walk in, following behind Otis, "Look I already told you, there is nothing that the lieutenant wouldn't do for his men." Otis seemed flustered, unhappy about being followed, unhappy about being questioned but also unhappy that his answer was not taken the first time. "Look I'm just trying to make sure that you are all safe under Casey's command, that's all." By this stage, each member of the firehouse had made their way into the common room, each of them standing behind their lieutenant, the girls sitting just off to the side, Gabby watching Matt closely.

"Hey Griffin! If you have an issue with the lieutenant, why don't you just tell him to his face?" Herman stood next to Matt with his arms crossed over his chest, both of them standing on the other side of the table watching as Griffin stepped further into the room. They watched as he looked around, deciding which route to take; however he didn't take the best one. "You all think that your lieutenant is so perfect? He isn't the saint you all think he is!" Matt just raised his eyebrow at Griffin, wondering where he was going with his statement. "That's right Casey, I bet now that I'm here and can affect your career, you're regretting assaulting a fellow classmate?" Matt locked his jaw, vaguely aware that Shay and Gabby had stood, moving closer to him. He scoffed though, he was tougher than Griffin gave him credit for, "Regret it? I'm glad I did it. You weren't the first idiot to have a crack about my family but you were the last. I'm glad I laid you out."

Matt took a step closer to Griffin, catching Severide out of the corner his eye, watching as his close friend also too a step forward, Griffin matching his step so they were less than two steps from each other. "You sucker punched me-" Matt dropped his head back in laughter, "You saw it coming" Griffin took another step forward, fronting up to Matt, "The only ones who's saw it coming were your buddies, none of which had the integrity to say what really happened." Matt contemplated speaking back but with a glance to the side he found Gabby standing a little closer to him, the look in her eyes telling him to leave it. "You know what...you and your audits can go and get fucked for all I care Griffin" Matt turned his back towards Griffin, realizing it was probably the first time he had sworn like that around Gabby. Not that he cared, he had heard worse from her but that was the sort of reaction that Griffin brought out of Matt.

"Kiss you're mother with that mouth? Oh that's right, that's only allowed during the conjugal visits…does she even get those?" Matt lunged at Griffin, each of the firemen in the house not realising what was happening, Matt's fist connected with Griffin's cheek, sending him backwards before anyone realised. "Hey! Hey!" Herman and Kelly jumped into hold Matt back, who was still trying to get to Griffin, Griffin being held back by Cruz and Capp, each just making sure they were far enough apart. Gabby jumped from her seat at the side as Matt tried to reach for Griffin again, hoping that she would be able to calm him down, she stood in front of him, her hand on his chest and the other trying to get him to focus on her. "Hey Matt! Hey! Look at me!" She called out to him, noticing that he was staring straight through her until he snapped, his eyes blinking a few times before he realised that it was her standing in front of him, he relaxing in Kelly's grasp.

As quickly as it had started it all began to settle, Griffin had pushed off Capp and Cruz, straightening his jacket, he stepped closer to Matt, "You better watch yourself Casey, wouldn't want something like this come back and bite you on the ass…" Then his eyes flickered down to Gabby, who was still standing by Matt's side, her hand on his chest, Griffin smirked, "…Although if it was your ass it was biting I would be all for that…" The sparks flew again, although this time as Matt reached for Griffin, Griffin had time to protect himself and fight back. Moving forward to meet Matt fist to fist, the movement sent Gabby backwards into the corner of the doorframe, her head and back connecting painfully with it from the force of the grown man pushing her out the way. No one noticed what had happened until Gabby cried out, Griffin landing only one punch to Matt's three as Matt turned around, finding Gabby folding the back of her head and sliding down to the floor, Shay already at her side.

The commotion had brought the Chief into the common room, finding his lieutenant and visitor standing toe to toe, each being held back by other firemen. "What is going on in here!?" He looked around to find Cruz, Herman and Kelly pushing Griffin away from Matt, Matt and Shay crouched by the doorway while Gabby was sitting down, her head in her hands. Griffin spoke loudly, "Casey is crazy! That is what is going on here!" But no one seemed to care, each of them too concerned about Gabby. "I'm ok, I just hit my head…" She rose slowly, one hand being held by Shay and the other being held by Matt who turned to face his Chief, the image of a black eye already forming on his face. Chief glanced between Matt and Griffin, finding Griffin with a bloody lip and a bruised cheek, then back to the fact that Gabby was standing closely to Matt, as far from Griffin as possible. "I want you out of my house…do you understand me? You do not come into my house, start berating my men and then assault my medic. Leave now."

The Chief voice was quiet and strong, the type of voice he got when you knew you listened to what he said or else you would be kicked into next week. Griffin stood still, stupid enough to test him. "Are you going for over look that fact that your lieutenant assaulted me first?" Yeah he was stupid enough to test the Chief, but the Chief knew that this was coming, he spoke again, "You provoked him, as far as I can tell you received nothing less than what you deserved, now if you don't leave I am going to let Casey have another go at you but this time I can guarantee you that you won't be getting up and I won't be stopping it." Chief turned his back to Griffin now, more concerned with Gabby to care about the other man, who just huffed turned on his heals and left the common room, the garage door banging on his way out.

The group turned towards Gabby again, making sure she was ok, finding no blood and just a small lump forming on the back of her head she sighed, "I'm alright, just got a bit of a head ache already…" She glanced up at Matt, hoping to find a comforting look in his eyes but all she got was anger, not towards her but at the situation. After ensuring that Gabby was ok, Matt moved from the group, heading to his office where he had slammed the door.

Sighing deeply Matt took deep breaths to try and calm himself down. He was furious, furious at Griffin and how he acted, furious at himself for how he had acted towards Griffin, furious at the fact that Gabby had to see all that and furious at the fact that Gabby was hurt because of him. He never wanted her to be involved in the bullshit that came with his life, honestly he didn't expect it come back to him like it had but after she had gotten hurt, he thought about all the times that she might get hurt and he wouldn't be there to help or it would be because of him that she would be hurt, much like tonight. Dropping onto his chair, Matt looked blankly at the paper that was there, his hands shaking as the sudden feeling of pain rose in his cheek, he realised then that his face was sore, that he no doubt was going to have a bruise.

Another angry outburst came over him and he swept his arm across his desk, sending the papers and pens crashing to the floor, causing a gasp to come from the person standing by his now open door. Looking up he found Gabby standing there, her face taken aback by his actions. "Gabby, I'm sorry, are you alright?" She just smiled slightly, "Yeah I'm alright, wanted to come and see how you were, you left suddenly before…" She moved further into the room, closing the door as she did. Gabby waited a few moments before sitting down on Matt's bed, watching as he dropped his head, sighing, "I know, I'm sorry. He just makes me so angry and when I realised that you were hurt I just…" He looked up suddenly, the anger in his eyes fading slightly when he noticed her sitting on his bed, her back against the pillow and her legs crossed. "Come here…" Gabby patted the bed in front of her, watching as he moved slowly to her, before taking a seat. "I'm alright, I promise…" She leaned over as she spoke, wrapping her arms around his neck; she brought herself to sit against him, feeling him relax against her touch.

"I know, but I never wanted you to get hurt because of me and when I saw you on the floor, I just… it made me so angry." He leaned further into her touch, resting his head against hers, needing to have her close. "I know but it's ok…I'm a tough girl I can look after myself…" She laughed as he smile but his smile faltered as he noticed the small grimace on her face. "Are you sure you're ok?" He reached out and touched the back of her head gently, watching her pull away slightly at his touch, "I'm sorry…" But Gabby reached for his hand, resting hers against his, "No it's alright, just a bit sore, that's all." She leaned in then, placing her lips against his tightly, "See, promise, I'm alright…" She was reassuring him constantly as she knew that he was really upset about what had happened. "Now, come back outside with your men, they want to stand by you." Gabby rose from her seat before leaving the room in search of Shay and some painkillers.

**Any love? :D**


	13. Adult Size Children

**This is why I shouldn't start watching new things … I forget to do older things **** So I apologise for the lateness of the this chapter! On the other hand … Jesse Spencer in House is awesome! I Miss him in season 4 ****…. Anyway, enjoy and thanks for the reviews from the last chapter, I hope this one is just as good! :D**

**Chapter 13 – Adult Size Children**

"So how about you come over for a few drinks after the next shift? I feel like I haven't seen you in ages!" Gabby laughed as she threw her arm over Shay's shoulder as they walked back into the common room from the garage, happy that they hadn't had a call for most of the afternoon. Shay smiled, she had missed Gabby, both being busy, Shay having to deal with family issues, Gabby spending time with James and Matt. "Well if you didn't spend so much time with lover boy... We have more time for each other..." She laughed as the spotted Matt sitting at his usually seat, eating a bowl of whatever he had made.

"Casey, do you ever stop eating? Every time I see you, you're eating something..." It was a typical conversation between the two of them, something Gabby had come to realize. Mostly it would end with Shay telling Matt he would get fat and Matt telling Shay that as long as he didn't end up looking like her he was happy but this time he didn't care, he was still too angry at Griffin having a crack at Gabby to joke. He just raised his spoon to his mouth, took another bite and held up his middle finger to her, never raising his eyes from his newspaper.

Shay just rolled her eyes at him, not even bothering to question his lack of answer, knowing the reason behind it. After Griffin had left the house, everything had settled a little unsurely. Everyone was tip toeing around Matt and the happenings of earlier, not sure what to say. Gabby was the only one who went near him, as she and Shay walked passed him towards the locker rooms, Gabby ran her hand gently over the back of his neck, feeling him react to her touch instantly, leaning his head back into her touch, his hand instantly meeting here, giving it a gently squeeze before she moved away, following Shay back to the locker room.

"So what do you say about coming over? A little wine, a little popcorn and a lot of girl talk?" Shay smiled wider, "Sounds good, unless, you know Casey wants to come over for a little 'make me feel better'." Gabby just rolled her eyes, "It's fine! Matt is coming over after the end of this shift, I have was gonna get to you come tomorrow but I think he needs something to distract him. Anyway he and Kelly wanna take James to the hockey after the next shift, he has been looking forward to it since I said that James would love it. He can't wait to surprise James." Gabby shook her head at the thought of how excited Matt was when he had asked her a few days ago.

_"Please…Come on babe, you know he will love it!" Matt rested his back against the door to the bathroom of the firehouse, waiting for Gabby to answer his question. He and Kelly had gotten tickets to the next Hawks game with the intention of taking James; Matt just hadn't asked Gabby before buying the tickets. He had taken the chance, while everyone else was having lunch to go and find her, finding her in the bathroom washing her hands after her last call. _

"_I don't know Matt, it's not that I don't trust you and Kelly, I do … it's just that he has never gone anywhere with anyone other than me or my brother, I just…" But Matt had haltered her concerns with a laugh, reaching out to her and placing his hands on her cheek, raising her face to look at him. _

"_He will be fine! I promise you nothing will happen; you know he will love to go. What do you say?" Gabby just watched Matt for a moment, taking a deep breath in before smiling, raising herself onto her toes and placed a gently kiss to his lips. "Oh alright, but you have to be the one to tell him because he is going to go crazy." She wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his shoulder. "Are you serious?" He was a little shocked, he knew that it wasn't that she didn't trust him but it was her son he was talking about. Feeling her nod against chest, he pulled back, his smile beaming brightly. _

Shay's voice caught Gabby's attention and brought her back to reality, "He loves that kid so much!" Gabby just smiled, he really did. Glancing at the clock, Gabby groaned, "Shit, we are gonna be late picking up James, come on, we gotta go!" She reached for Shay's hand pulling her from the locker room, through the common room and into the garage, ignoring the confused looks the rest of the house have them. They headed out towards James school, hoping that they would be there in time to miss the beginning of the school rush.

While waiting outside James school, Shay spoke about her friendship with Kelly and how they had become close ever since they day they had met. Also stating they he would be the one she would marry if she weren't gay. "Ha, Shay, I don't know if I could see you walking down the aisle in a white dress! At least not to Severide!" Gabby laughed as she waited on the outside of the ambo, watching the kids run towards their parents excitedly. Shay thought for a moment, smiling, "Yeah true but I could see you walking down the aisle…Casey waiting at the other side…" As Shay leaned out the window to tease Gabby, Gabby leaned in and slapped her as hard as she could while Shay moved away laughing. "Oh come on! Like you haven't thought about it!"

Gabby just shook her head, leaning in the window, "We have been on one date! Maybe after 3 or 4 we can have this conversation again…" Gabby smirked as she pulled away, glancing back behind her in case James was on his way. "The two of you are like the high school couple that everyone routs for and everyone knows will be together forever. Just face it, you and Casey are _meant to be_." Shay laughed as she battered her lashes at Gabby, trying to embarrass her ever more than she already was but it didn't work, she had been too focused on James heading her way to care what Shay was saying.

"Hi Shay!" James' voice entered the ambo as Shay smiled, "Hey kid! Get in, get in… we are going to get ice cream!" Before Gabby could argue, James turned towards his mother and hugged her, jumping in next to Shay before they both called out to Gabby, "Come on mum! We want ice cream!" Gabby only shook her head and sighed, Shay really did spoil her child.

* * *

><p>James sat quietly in Matt's office finishing his home work, he had been spending more and more time at the firehouse after school when Gabby was on shift, everyone loved having them there and he loved being there. Although when he started to do his homework in the common room, he had been distracted too much by the noise and commotion of the adults and so Matt had offered his office for James and so now, everyday James would go to the firehouse after school and doing his homework in Matt's office before coming back out and enjoying the rest of shift with his mum, some night sleeping over with them and other nights being picked up by Antonio. Not that James minded being in Matts office, he liked it, it made him feel special, not only that but Matt had put up some photos of the two of them from the CFD BBQ as well as some of the two of them with Shay and Kelly.<p>

Sitting back against Matt's chair, James sighed, there was something that he needed to ask his mother but he was worried he would hurt her feelings or upset her but he knew he needed to ask because his teacher had asked if he had found someone. Deciding it was now or never, James rose from his chair and made his way into the common room, finding his mum sitting at the round table with her laptop, Shay sitting next to her, Kelly and Matt were at the long table, playing cards with some of the others.

It was quiet and so he walked slowly up to his mother who hadn't noticed him there. Standing next to her, he spoke, "Mum…" She looked up suddenly, a bright smile coming to her face, her arm wrapping around his waist, "What's up baby…?" James dropped his head, deciding what to say, "…you know I love you yeah?" As he looked up, he realised that Gabby was raised her eyebrow at him, confused about his sentence, Shay smirking as she tried to pretend she wasn't listening.

"What did you do?" Gabby knew that face, it was a guilty face, her niece and nephew wore one exactly the same when they were in trouble with their dad. James laughed, "Nothing, can you come with me…I have to ask you something…" He reached out his hand for his mother to take it, which she did before leading him from the common room to the garage, knowing that no one was out there. As they passed, Matt had glanced up at them, smiling at James with a wink as he went passed. "So mister, what did you want to ask me?" In all honestly Gabby knew exactly what he wanted to ask, Antonio had already spoken to her about it and she knew he was worried about hurting her feelings.

"Well…I have a presentation to do at school next week…" he dropped his mother's hand and looked away, not wanting to see her reaction when he continued, "…and its about someone who we admire and you know I love you but I was wondering if it would be ok if I chose Matt to write about…also I get to read my essay about him in front of the class with him there. So he can answer questions…" Now James did look up, surprised to see his mother smiling back at him.

"Oh baby, I'm sure Matt would be thrilled to come to your school but only on a few conditions." James nodded, glad that his mother was happy for him to ask. "One; You have to ask Matt yourself…Two: You have to ask Chief Boden if it ok if Matt can leave shift to come to the school if it's a day we are working…and three: I get to come and listen to your presentation…" James' smile widened, he couldn't believe his mum was going to let him ask Matt, "Of course mum, I'll go ask Chief Boden now." Before Gabby could stop him, James he run off towards the chiefs office, her smile growing wider at the though of him being so happy. She had been a little disappointed that he didn't ask her, she was after all his mother but he had come to love Matt and Matt loved him, she was just so happy he had a male figure in his life he could look up to, that was a good influence on him. Shaking her head she walked back into the common room, gaining glances from Matt and Shay but just sat back down quietly.

James knocked on the Chief door quietly, not wanting to disturb him if he was busy but within a second the Chiefs voice called out for whoever was behind the door to come in. Walking into the office James found the Chief with his head down, writing on some paper. "Chief Boden…" The young boy's voice had caught Boden attention, expecting it to the voice of an adult, he looked up, smiling, "James what can I do for you son?" He put his pen down and watched as James came close, his hand wringing together. "Sir, I am doing a presentation next week about someone I admire and I have asked my mum if I can write it about Lieutenant Casey and she said yes. So when I write the report I have to have the person at the school with me so I can talk about them so I was wondering if it would be ok if my mum and Lieutenant Casey could have some time off next week to come to my school. It wouldn't be for long…"

He dropped his head, not really sure about how the chief was going to react, only looking up when Boden stood. "Thank you for being grown up enough to come and ask me yourself James. Of course, assuming we are quiet and not busy, I can grant them some leave during the day to come to your school." James' eyes widened, his smile growing, "Thank you sir!" He ran over to the other side of the desk and hugged Boden, earning a laugh and a hug in return, before James ran off back to the common room.

He was two from three at this stage and now all he had to do was ask Matt if it would be ok. Coming back to the common room, James looked around, finding Matt in the same spot he had been before he had left. "Matt…" he called out, Matt looked up from his game, "Hey kiddo, what's up?" Matt placed down his cards before turning to James, "Can I talk to you for a minute?" He moved nervously from one foot to the other, waiting for his reply. "Yeah sure…" Matt turned back to Kelly, "I'm out…" Before standing and placing his hands on James shoulders, directing him back towards the garage where he had been minutes before. "What's going on kiddo?"

Matt took a seat on the front of Truck 81, James sitting down next to him, his legs swaying, as they didn't touch the floor. "Well, next week I have to do a presentation in front of the class about someone I admire, the person I talk about comes as well and I talk a bit and then talk a bit and then have some questions and I was wondering if I could do my presentation on you…" James look up at Matt with the same eyes that had made him fall in love with Gabby, the deep dark eyes showing so much emotion without a single word spoken.

Matt grinned at James, he was shocked and honoured to be asked by James to be part of the presentation, he loved the kid and to know that he admired him was enough for Matt. "Oh course James, I would be honoured to come to your school!" James jumped from his spot and wrapped his arms around Matt.

"Thank you!" hugging him tightly Matt laughed he loved pleasing the boy. "I already spoke to mum and she was happy with it and I spoke to Chief Boden and he said it was ok for you and mum to leave shift next week to come, as long as your not busy. I'm gonna go and start writing my paper now!" James ran from Matt, leaving his momentarily stunned. "You make him so happy, you know that…" Matt looked up to find Gabby standing against the ambo, her arms crossed over her chest, her smile soft. He rose slowly from his seat, glancing around to make sure they were alone before he walked purposefully to her, reaching out for her hips when he was close enough.

They hadn't told anyone about their relationship, James still didn't know for sure what was going on, he was just happy that Matt was around so much, going out with them, watching movies at home, eating with them. "Well now… I hope he isn't the only one that I make happy…" Matt pulled Gabby to him, his lips a breath away from hers before he spun her around, her back hitting the side of the ambulance gently, his body pressed tightly against hers.

"That's very true…" Gabby had wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him for a deep kiss, the world falling away from them the moment their lips touched. There was no space between them, their bodies tightly pressed against each other, reacting to their kiss. "Oh come on, you are making me sick…" Matt jumped at the voice; his heart pounding in his chest, only relaxing slightly when he realised it was only Shay. She laughed at him as he blushed, moving away from Gabby without a word, not even bothering to look back as he went back to the common room.

Shay turned to Gabby, their eyes locking as she took in her appearance, her lips swollen, her messed, cheek flushed, she smiled, "I thought you said you and Casey hadn't had sex yet…" Shay moved closer to Gabby, wanting to keep the conversation between the two of them in case someone had walk into the garage. Gabby blushed, it was true, they hadn't had sex yet and it wasn't that she didn't want to she just wasn't ready yet. "We haven't… why would you say that?" She moved away from the side of the ambulance, straightening out her hair and clothes as she walked passed Shay. "Well I only say it because I see the way you two are around each other and I think it's about time you and him get it on…"

Gabby blushed again, she always hated when Shay was so straight forward when it came to her and Matt and that was only because most of the time she was right. "Yeah well, it's not happening so just drop it." Gabby had decided she was done with this conversation and headed back towards the common room, needing space from Matt and Shay.

* * *

><p>The rest of shift went fairly smoothly, Gabby's only problem was the headache she was beginning to get after the fall. Sighing deeply she rubbed her hands over her face, trying to relax the muscles around her temple as she looked around, making sure she and James had everything before heading home. Taking a mental note of everything to make sure she had it all, she looked around to find the most important thing, James, but when he couldn't be found she sighed, there was only one place he could be and that was where she headed. It was just coming up on 8am, end of shift, as she moved towards Matt's office, seeing the door open she stood in the doorway, watching and Matt and James laughed about something that had no doubt happened at James' school.<p>

"It's true! I promise!" Neither of the had noticed Gabby standing there smiling, so Matt stood from his chair and made it over to James, his hands heading straight to his sides and tickling the little boy. Their laughter grew as the tickling continued, "Matt! Stop it!" James was barely able to get out the words between the laughter.

The creaking of the doorway brought both Matt and James' attention to Gabby who was standing with a smile on her face, her hands crossed over her chest, "You boys having fun?" She watched as Matt and James looked at each other quickly before Matt turned around, smiling like a child, "Yes mum, we are…" Gabby just rolled her eyes before taking a seat next to Matt and James on the bed, running her hand over James' arm before smiling at Matt. "You too are like children. Well one of you is a child and James is the adult…" The glance that Matt and James shared should have told Gabby that she was in trouble because the next thing she knew, both Matt and James were leaning over her, their hands tickling any place they could find as she cried and laughed out loud, trying to move away from their hands.

* * *

><p>Matt looked down at Gabby, her head on his lap and her hands resting against his inner thigh, honestly though having her so close he couldn't help the thoughts that were running through his head as she moved a little in her sleep, her hand brushing against him, causing him to groan out loud, willing his body not to react to her touch the way it was dying to, suddenly glad that James was too focused on the movie than what was happening on the couch behind him. Shifting slightly in his sitting position, Matt noticed that James had started to yawn, his hand cover his mouth as he stretched. Glancing at the clock, Matt noticed that it was after 10pm, passed James' bedtime, Matt having come over shift for dinner and a movie. "Hey buddy, its time for bed, come on, we can finish this movie another day."<p>

Matt rose from his seat slowly, making sure to move Gabby slow enough not to wake her, having fallen asleep with a headache from the day before. James glanced back at Matt, he knew his mum and Matt were together, he had seen him kiss her earlier in the night while James was supposed to be doing homework in the lounge, so he also knew that whatever Matt said went. Nodding he stood, glancing back at his mum and then silently heading into his room. He changed in silence and slipped into bed, only looking up when he heard Matt knock gently. "You ready for bed?" Matt poked his head in to find James already in bed; he smiled widely at the boy. "You are such a good kid, you know that right? Your mum is so proud of you."

Matt moved towards James and sat on the edge of the bed, smiling when James looked away. "I just like making things easier on mum. It's only been her so I don't see a point being a pain in the ass". The raised eyebrow from Matt faltered James, smirking as he realized he has said 'ass' Matt knowing his mother wouldn't be thrilled if she had heard it. "Will you be staying tonight? Are you gonna be here in the morning Matt?" Again the raised eyebrow made James smile, "I saw you and mum kissing in the kitchen. I know you are together." James smiled wider as Matt blushed slightly.

"Is that ok with you?" Part of Matt was a little worried, he knew that James liked him but would it be different if he dated his mother? Would it suddenly change and he felt awkward or feel like he couldn't talk to him if he needed. He watched as James thought for a moment before he leaned over and wrapped his little arms around Matt's neck, Matt pausing for a moment before he slowly wrapped his arms around the boy's back, James hugging him tighter. There was something different about this hug than all the others James had given him, something deeper in the hug.

"I haven't seen mum this happy ever and if it means I get to see you more, it's ok with me". James smiled as he pulled away from Matt, knowing now that his paper about Matt would be even more special. James moved further down the bed as Matt silently pulled the blanket up over his body before rubbing his head gently and moving from the room.

As he turned off the light in the hallway, Matt made his way back go Gabby who was still curled up on her side asleep. Moving closer to her he though about the times when he would be able to wake up next to her, pull her close in the morning, holding her in his arms at night as they slept. He wanted all of it with her and now he was getting his chance. Kneeling down in front of gabby, Matt fans his fingers over her cheek gently, smiling as she reacted to his touch, leaning into the warmth she found her.

Knowing how tired she was, Matt gently pulled Gabby into his arms, one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, smiling as she snuggled into his arms. As he made his way into her room he placed her down gently on the bed, silently glad she had already changed into her pjs or else he would have to wake her up. As he pulled the blanket over her body she stirred, "Matt?" She blinked up at him, watching as he knelt down by her side, his hand running through her hair. "Stay with me?" Matt blinked a few times, unsure if it was her being serious, the tiredness of the painkillers making her ask but the last thing he wanted to do was make her feel awkward in the morning.

She looked up at him again; a little shocked at his silence, "Please?" Smiling softly Matt nodded, moving away from her to switch the light off before stripping down to his boxers before slipping into the bed next to her, feeling his whole body relax as his muscles sunk into the soft mattress. Matt smiled when she turned towards him, a lazy smile gracing her face. "Thanks for staying," she whispered into the darkness. Matt turned smoothed out her hair, enjoying the content look on her face as she closed her eyes.

"How's your head?" He was still conference about her hitting her head, worried that it might be more than just a headache even though both Shay and mills had told him she was fine. He still worried about her.

"I'm fine, really ill be fine tomorrow. I promise." This time she did open her eyes, suddenly needing to see him, her eyes adjusting to the darkness so she could see his blue eyes, the slight shading of dark stubble on his cheek and lightness of his hair. "How are you? And don't say worried about me," she laughed gently as she spoke, knowing he would probably try and avoid talking about griffin and what had happened.

Sighing deeply, Matt ran his hand over her face again, taking in all of her as she lay in his arms. "I'm ok. He just knows how to rub me up the wrong way that's all. And then when he turned to you...I mean my family is one thing but the minute he looked at you, I guess I just lost it." Matt looked over Gabby's face before continuing, "I've never really had anyone to look out for me when I was growing up, I had to learn to take care of myself so I guess my first reaction to things is to hit back, show that I'm not afraid or useless. Don't get my wrong, I don't like it and I has gotten me into trouble more times than I can count but I decided long ago that I would make sure I protected the people close to me, protected those I cared most about ... You and James are at the top of that list..."

Gabby smiled gently up at Matt, reaching over she placed her hand against the back of his head and pulled him down to her level, letting his lips touch hers, sinking into a deep kiss, their tongue sparking together in a heat that they both knew couldn't be held down for too long. Within a moment, Gabby pulled away, blowing out a deep breath, "God you are amazing…"

Matt just laughed, "Get some sleep baby, you've had a few too many pain killers for one night…" He placed another gently kiss on her forehead as she snuggled against his chest, sighing deeply before falling into a deep sleep.

**Review?**


	14. I Love You

**Yep so like everyone else really NOT happy with how the last episode went, I get both point of views, I really do…I miss medic Gabby, really, she was awesome as a medic so I miss that. Honestly though, the writers killed off Matts first fiancé, with the intention I'm sure to give Gabby an in so I don't see them ruining a second engagement for him, that would just be cruel. I am hoping that this whole Shay thing might bring them back together but I really just don't see, with all the hype on and off camera (the tweeted photo of Monica and Jesse, holding a sign saying Dawsey) that they will keep them apart for long …I hope at least. **

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter! :D thanks for all the continued love I have been getting, its amazing! It's a little shorter than the rest (still over 3500 words) but I wanted to get it up without leaving it too long…**

**Chapter 14 – I Love You**

Gabby blinked against the reminder of the morning, the sun coming through the small crack in the blinks, showing that it was still early but late enough for the sun to come up. She had _slept_. It was shock to her because usually she was up before morning, only just but still enough for her to be able to watch the sunrise from her small balcony window. But this morning was different and it wasn't because of the slight headache that she had woken up with; it was because of the strong arm wrapped around her stomach that made this morning different. Blinking again, Gabby tried to force her mind to work out what was going on, why she had someone else in her bed all of a sudden. Glancing down, Gabby was instantly glad she was dressed, she could feel the shorts on her hips and the see the singlet top against her best, so she knew she hadn't had sex last night, but that's when she felt it, movement from behind her, the arm tightening around her stomach and a soft kiss being placed against her neck.

_Matt._ Gabby relaxed instantly, everything about the night before coming back to her as she remembered Matt being there for dinner and a movie, her falling asleep on him during the movie and she was pretty sure she had asked him to stay with her last night, and so that is how she came to be in the comfortable situation she was in. With another kiss placed on the back of her neck, Gabby could tell Matt was smiling, "Morning baby…" his voice was soft, hoarse, telling her that he had only just woken up, that his mind was still foggy from the sleep. "You slept well, you haven't moved since you laid down…" he laughed against her when she moved, turned her whole body to be facing him, her hands resting against his bare chest as she did so.

"Really? And how would you know that?" Gabby stretched against him, her legs straightening and running against his bare legs, sending shivers through both their spines. As she glanced up at him, Gabby noticed that he was staring at her, his lips slightly parted and a small smile resting there. There was no reply, just his arms locking around her back to pull her close to him.

As Matt watched Gabby move in his arms, his mind and body were being pulled in different directions, his mind going blank from the movement, the inability to concentrate on anything except her moving against his almost bare body and his body, reacting instinctively to the movements that it made him blush slightly. "Well because this is how we fell asleep last night and this is how we woke up, so I guess that means you didn't move…" Matt smiled cheekily at her as he leaned down, his lips barely touching hers, a smirk replacing the smile she he felt and heard her breathe hitch, a light kiss before both of them falling into a happy silence.

"James knows about us by the way..." Matt's voice broke the soft silence that had filled Gabby's bedroom. They had been laying in silence, just holding onto each other, enjoying he fact that they didn't need to speak. But Matt knew it was something that Gabby would need to hear, that her son was the most important person in her life. He watched as she pulled back to look at him, clearly telling him that she realized that considering he has stayed the night but also he could see the hesitation in her eyes, the unsure feeling that this was now different. James knowing about them changed everything.

"Hey it's alright, I know your are worried but I promise its ok. He said he was happy about it ... " Matt was trying to ease some of her worry as he ran a hand over her face gently, watching as she brought her bottom lip into her mouth like she always did when she was worried about something. He was hoping for a reply, for something to tell him that she was alright with the change and was starting to worry when she didn't say anything but as he went to speak again Gabby leaned forward and placed her lips against his, initiating a kiss that shocked him at first but that changed instantly as he slipped his arms around her tightly, his tongue darting out to meet hers passionately.

Both became lost in the kiss, their hands running over the others body, Gabby's hands causing Matt's chest and back muscles to shudder under her touch, causing him to grown into her mouth and roll over so he laying on top of her, keeping his body weight from crush her matt sat up slightly, adjusting their position he looked down at her, their eyes meeting heatedly before matt crushed his lips back to Gabby's, relishing in the sounds she made as his hands travelled over her body, resting against the back of her knee tugging it up slightly, Gabby taking this as instruction and she raised her leg, wrapping it around Matt's hip, bringing him closer to her.

They became lost in each other, a mess of hands and lips and moans, each learning the others body in a much more deeper way. Like the way matt let out a deep throated grown when Gabby tugged against his hair and dug her short nails into his back. Or how Gabby gasped loudly when matt kisses the spot just below Gabby's ear, her nails biting harder into his shoulder blades. Or how Gabby giggles when matt ran his hands across her ribs or how matt shivered when Gabby let her fingers run down his back and over his shoulder blades.

At this stage it was all so innocent, learning each other, wanting more but neither of them really taking that next step but it wasn't until Matt bucked his hips gently against Gabby did her world come back to her, her mind defogging and her eyes opening, the sudden realization that she was making out, furiously with Matt who was reacting to her, in her bed, in the morning with James not far from the room. Gabby pushed against Matt's shoulders, trying to get his attention but she was struggling. "Matt..." His name fell from her lips weakly, not really wanting him to stop kissing her but also knowing that it had to stop. It wasn't until she spoke again that he pulled away, "Matt we can't ... Please..."

As he pulled away from her slowly, Matt looked over her face, the change in her eyes telling him she really wanted him to stop. Blinking away the desire he had for her, Matt brushed her now messy hair from her face, "Are you right?" He was worried he had hurt her, that he had done something wrong or something to upset her. She smiled softly, nodding her head before leaning up and placing a gently kiss on his lips.

"Yes, I just ... I'm just ... " he could tell she was trying to tell him something, the biting of her lower lip telling him she was holding something back from him, something she was either worried about or embarrassed about. "... I mean... James is in the other room. I need to make sure he is up and has eaten..." She was deflecting, ignoring what she really wanted to say instead changing the subject. Matt was silent as she rolled away from him, standing before heading towards the door, a shaky breath leaving her body as she went.

Matt's brow furrowed in confusion, he didn't understand what had just happened, yes he understood that it probably wasn't appropriate for them to have sex with James in the house and if he had been honest himself he wouldn't have wanted it to happen like that either, he wanted it to be right and perfect, because that's what she deserved. Groaning, Matt rolled onto his back, the discomfort in his shorts the reminder of just how much Gabby affected him but now he was confused. He lay there for a few minutes, unsure of what to think as he thought about her stuttering, there was clearly something she wanted to tell him she just couldn't or didn't want to but he was sure going to be there for her to be able to tell him. Rolling over again, Matt leaned down and reached for her jeans, pulling them on before walking towards the door, grabbing his shirt as he went.

As he made it into the kitchen where he heard Gabby and James talking, Matt stood against the doorway, his hands in his pockets as he watched mother and son making breakfast, each moving in sync to make what he could smell as pancakes laughing gently. Gabby must have felt the eyes on her before she turned around suddenly, her eyes meeting Matt's as she blushed and smiled before glancing at James, the little boy turning around when he noticed his mothers movements.

"Matt! You stayed for breakfast!" James happily ran to Matt before pulling him by the hand towards the kitchen bench where he was placed on Gabby's opposite side. "You can squeeze the oranges!" James handed Matt a bag of oranges before moving back to his spot next to his other, the three of them falling into a comfortable silence as they cooked.

As they ate, James talked about all the things he wanted to do, all the things he wanted Matt to do with him, not ever noticing the sideways glances Matt was giving his mother, who kept her head down, only adding to Matt confusion about her earlier behaviour. Once James had headed off to watch TV, Matt and gabby were left to sit in silence, each not knowing what to say to the other. That was until Matt reached for Gabby's hand, his voice soft, "Hey are you ok?"

Gabby debated aging confused, pretending to not know what he was talking about but she already knew better than that, ready knew that Matt could read her like an open book. Sighing, she squeezed his hand and looked back at him, "yeah I'm ok. I'm sorry Matt ... It's nothing really." Gabby just squeezing his hand and watched as he nodded, leaning over and placed a kiss on her cheek before moving to the lounge where he sat with James watching cartoons before heading out to start his day.

* * *

><p>James sat nervously in the class, everyone else had their parent in the room with them, each of them talking about what made them admire their parent, but Matt and Gabby hadn't shown up yet, he was worried that they wouldn't make it. James' teacher kept sending James small smiles, trying to cheer him up because she knew he was worried. As the person speaking sat down, the class and parents clapped, "Now James it should be your turn but how about we wait until later this afternoon yeah? Maybe your mum will turn up."<p>

The teacher had known that Matt and Gabby were on shift and might have been called out, so if they weren't there at the beginning then chances are they were out. Gabby had spoken to James before dropping him off at school, wanting him to understand that something might happen and they might not have been able to make it and he understood but it still made him sad. James just nodded at the teacher, watching as the other parents in the room glanced at each other, clearly not knowing about Gabby's job. "Ok, well let's take a break for lunch, we have some being served in the hall…" She pointed down the hallway, watching as parents and kids started to make their way to the food.

James sat quietly outside, watching as the parents spoke to each other, laughed with their kids, he felt sad, he knew that they had an important job, he had just been so excited to tell the kids about Matt, that he hadn't realised the real possibility that something might have come up. "Hey James you ok?" His teacher took a seat next to him, noticing that he was on his own, he shrugged, "Yea, I'm just hoping that Matt and mum will be here…" and with that he rose from his seat and walked back towards the class, knowing that lunch almost over. One by one the rest of the parents and kids came back to the class, taking their seats before the teacher spoke, explaining a little about what was planned for the rest of the term.

As she spoke there was a knock at the door and two people walked in, James look up to find Matt and Gabby standing at the door way, Gabby dressed in her uniform he had seen everyday but Matt was different, he had his turnout pants on, his red suspenders hanging at his hips, his grey CFD shirt on and his radio strapped across his chest hanging at his side, his hair was a mess and he had dirt and soot on his face, clearly showing he had been in a fire recently. "Sorry we are so late…" Gabby spoke, her smile growing when she saw James eyes widen, happy to have them there.

"No problems Ms Dawson please come in…" The teacher motioned for Gabby and Matt to take a seat, watching as they did, both turning their radios down in the process. "You are just in time, James was just about to speak." James nodded, hugging his mum and Matt before standing in front of the class, motioning for Matt to stand next to him which he did, leaning against the teachers desk, his body relaxing as the adrenaline left his body from their call. "The person I admire most isn't a parent or someone famous. The person I admire most is Lieutenant Matt Casey from the Chicago Fire Department. He is the Lieutenant of Truck 81 which is from Firehouse 51 and they are the busiest house in Chicago."

He looked up towards Matt, noticing that he hadn't taken his eyes off James, in complete awe that he had chosen him to speak about. "I admire Matt because he is brave, he thinks about everyone else before himself, especially when he is on shift. He is strong because he cares so much about everyone, including my mum and me. He is always there for me, even when I don't think that I need someone and he is better at playing Batman than my mum." This last sentence gained a laugh from the class. "Matt is a fireman and he saves lives and makes a difference for those people that he saves but he has made the biggest difference to my mums life and mine. I love you Matt."

James folded the piece of paper that was in his hand and put it in his pocket, glancing up at Matt who pulled him into the tightest hug, "I love you too buddy…" he whispered back, glancing at Gabby who had tears in her eyes, her smile wide.

James teacher smiled, "Well done James. Now Lieutenant, we like to allow our visitors to say something quickly and then have some questions, if that is alright with you…" She wanted to make sure Matt was ok with what was going on, knowing that Matt wasn't a parent. Matt nodded and he stood from the table, keeping James close he spoke, "Of course. Well like James said, I am a fireman. I have been for almost 10 years and have been the lieutenant of Truck 81 for the last 5. I love my job, its exciting and amazing and we get to meet the most interesting people."

Matt laughed, not really sure what else to say but he knew there would be questions; there was always questions when he spoke to kids. "Not really sure what else to say so I guess if there are any questions-" The minute the words left his mouth most of the kids hand shot up in the air, he laughed, "Alright well maybe you could pick some kids," Matt looked towards the teacher, not really wanting to chose kids and feeling more comfortable when someone else did it. Nodding she started pointing, a little girl first.

"Do you ever get scared?" Everyone sat patiently waiting for Matt to answer, his eyes shooting to Gabby briefly before he spoke, "Yes I do. I get scared some days because I don't know what is going to happen, because I can't always predict what will happen and I get scared some days because it's not just me going into a burning house, it's the men I work with and I have to make sure they are ok and come out the other side."

The little girl nodded and the next question was asked, "Where you at a fire today?" This time a little boy spoke. "Yes we were that's why I was late, so again I apologise. We were called out just before James mum and I were on our way here so we got stuck." Matt motioned towards Gabby, "James' mum is a paramedic in the same house as me as when we get called to a fire, they do as well." Everyone turned to Gabby now and smiled, watching as she just smiled back at Matt.

A little boy called out, "Did you go into the fire?" Every kid was fascinated with fire fighters and Matt could tell that some of the parents were annoyed that their jobs weren't as interesting, Matt smirking to himself inwardly, happy that James was getting the attention he deserved in a good way.

"Yeah I did-" He barely was able to answer the question before someone else yelled out, "Tell us about it!" Matt glanced towards the teacher, watching her nod before he continued, "Well we were called to a house fire, everyone had gotten out safely so we did what we call a sweep, which means we go into the house and make sure that there is no one inside still. This time as we did the sweep the floor collapsed underneath us and me and two of my men fell into the basement from the ground floor," Matt felt James tighten his grip on his waist, suddenly worried hearing that Matt was almost hurt.

"…We were lucky, no one was hurt but Gabby and her partner are amazing at their jobs and were able to make sure we were ok." Matt gave Gabby another grateful smile, knowing it could have all been a lot worse than what it was. The kids were enthralled by Matt's story, each sitting on the edge of their seat.

"Have you ever been hurt?" A little girl called out. Matt nodded, "Yea once I was hurt pretty badly, I ended up in hospital with two broken ribs, a broken arm and pretty bad head injury after falling through the floor during a building fire, the roof gave way and I was in the middle. But that was a long time ago, there aren't usually many injuries on the job." He laughed, hoping to relax the kid's worries. Another child was about the speak up when the teacher cut in, know the next question would probably be about death, "Alright kids, that enough. Please give Lieutenant Casey and James a round of applause…" Which the class did, louder then they had done for the parents before hand.

As Matt and James too their seat, waiting for the next presenter, Matt's radio sounded, "_Squad 3, Truck 81, Ambulance 61, person down, unknown causes. Corner Broadway and Chicago Avenue_." Gabby and Matt glanced at each other and then at the teacher, an apologetic smile coming to their faces. Matt reached for his radio, "81 responding." Gabby speaking next "61 responding," She turned to James, "Sorry kiddo, we need to go but ill see you after school. Remember the firehouse is getting pizza…" She kissed the top of his head before standing, "Sorry, we are needed." Getting a nod from the teacher who understood, Gabby and Matt rose from their seats, Matt pulled James into a hug, "That was amazing kiddo, I loved it." Before he raced from the room, leaving the kids watching in awe and James smirking happily.

**Love? :D**


	15. Sickly Sweet

**This is to honour all you amazing people for getting me to 150 reviews for 14 chapters! I cannot believe it, so thank you so very very much! **

**Oh the CF front, I rewatched when Casey and Dawson are making out in the ambo and it made me a little sad because I miss that, they were great back then and I really do hope they get back to that. **

**Also has anyone been to the real Molly's bar? I'm heading to Chicago in Feb (From Australia) and it looks great, food looks good as well. Just thought I'd see what you all though, if you've been. **

**Anyway … ENJOY! :D**

**Chapter 15 – Sickly Sweet**

Turning up at the scene, Matt and Gabby arrived just as Squad, Truck and Ambo did, meeting them at the front of the scene, Matt starting to send orders to his men as Kelly did the same, Shay meeting up with Gabby smiling, "Looks like it went well…"

Gabby smiled at Shay as she nodded, "Yeah, James told Matt that he loves him…" Her smile grew as Gabby thought about how happy James was and how happy Matt made them both.

Shay's arm wrapped around her friend, "Now if it were only that easy for you to tell him…" Gabby glanced over at Shay, a little shocked, "Oh come on, you love him just admit it already so you get to the loving!" Shay laughed as Gabby's cheeks reddened although ignoring what her best friend was saying, instead moving towards where Matt and Truck were, waiting to see what the plan was.

"Alright 81 I want you to secure the area, make sure power is off so the medics came get in. And keep everyone back!" Matt called out to his team as he assessed the area, taking notice of the hanging power leads and the unconscious victim on the floor. It was a large room, a hall that was being decorated for God knows what, but it looked like a senior prom, however it was too early in the year for that and the people around the room were too old to be going to high school. Gabby glanced around, something very familiar struck her about the people she could see but she couldn't place them, that or she was just too concerned about the victim lying in the middle of the stage area.

"Powers out lieutenant! Dawson! Shay! Your up!" Mouch called out from the back room, and Gabby and Shay looked over at Matt with a quick more before they moved towards the stage, assessing the victim.

"Hey hun, can you hear me?" Shay spoke as she reached the victim first kneeling at his side as she looked over him. "Casey! We need the stretcher!" Gabby called out towards Matt, deciding that it would be easier for them to get him into the ambo than trying to get him up. "You got it Dawson!" Matt smirked inwardly at how easy it was to work with Gabby.

"You think he just fell off the ladder?" Shay glanced around the area, but noticed the missing boot. "Dawson, check it out, look at his hand..." Gabby glanced back at the victim, moving faster now, Gabby worked out that he had actually been electrocuted, like they assumed when they noticed the hanging power cords. Moving fast over the victim Gabby and Shay did what was required of them, making sure he was stable enough to move, but as they moved Gabby glanced to her side, noticing a girl, shaking, crying, her hands red.

"Shay you got this?" Shay nodded as Gabby moved from the male victim who was now stable to the girl on the side of the stage. "Hun, what happened?" But the girl didn't move, her shaking her getting worse, the blisters on her hands starting to bleed as she clenched her fists. "Hun, I need you stop that…" Gabby tried to reach for the girl's hands but she wouldn't relax, something in her tensing her. "Main, this is 61, we need another ambulance at previous location. There is a second victim."

Gabby spoke into her radio, hearing the voice reply, "_Copy that 61, 43 is in the area, stand by, should be there within the minute."_ Gabby glanced around quickly, hoping for someone to help her out, Shay being preoccupied with the other victim so found Herman standing not to far from her, holding back the large group of people who were watching on. "Herman! Need a hand!" She turned back to the girl, looking over her for other injuries.

"What have you got Dawson?" Herman came to Gabby's side, resting her second jump bag against the floor so Gabby could reach for it. He took in the girl's face, she was scared, unsure of what was happened but she was more in shock than pain. "What happened?" Herman tried to talk to the girl, hoping it would bring her out of her shock.

Gabby glanced up at her face, trying to read what was happened, she was in complete shock, she was still awake and she was moving her hands and she could tell she heard Herman by the way she glanced at him but she couldn't work out exactly what was going on. "I don't … I don't know, Andrew feel, there was a spark and a crash and he fell, I went to him and pushed the cords off his chest but then I don't remember anything…" Now the girl did look at her shaking hands, sudden realisation coming over her that she was injured.

She suddenly started to freak out, she tried to push Gabby and Herman away before moving away from them, tears streaming down her face as when both Gabby and Herman reached for her, trying to bring her back down to the floor where she could be treated. "Hun, we need you to sit down, come on, we need to treat your hands before taking you to the hospital!" Gabby grabbed for the girls arm, finally getting her to look at her directly, the girl calming down when she took all of Gabby in.

Slowly the girl let Gabby help her down, falling into silence as Gabby worked on her hands. "Gabriella? Gabby Dawson?" Gabby's head shot up quickly at the sound of her name from a voice she didn't recognize. It had come from the girl who she was treating; she had regained some form of composure and really looked at Gabby. The confusion on Gabby's face must have made the girl laugh, "It's me, Amanda...Walker? From high school?" That's when Gabby looked around properly, taking in the decorations and the banners around the hall.

Her silence caught Herman's attention, "You right kid?" He was confused but figured he would do what he could to bring Gabby back. With a snap of her head gabby looked back at Herman.

"Ah yeah, hi Amanda." Gabby mumbled as she continued to treat the wounds on her hands, not really wanting to take a stroll down memory lane with the girl, especially with Herman sitting next to her. The colours of the banners and decorations were that of her high school, and it was 10 years since she had graduated from that Hell of a place, really not something she wanted to relive.

"Oh Gabby we have been trying to get in contact with you! Tomorrow night is our high school reunion! We have been trying to send an invite out to you but no one seemed to know where you were" the sickly sweet sound of Amanda's voice made Gabby shudder internally, she always hated this girl.

"Ah yea, I just moved back to Chicago so it's been a bit hectic." She was trying to ignore the look that Herman was giving her, the smirk that he gave when an idea came to mind. "Well you won't be having it here, powers been cut off coz of the short, but Gabby and I co-own a bar not far from here. We'd be happy to rent it out for the night..."

Gabby gave Herman a shocked look as Amanda smiled, "Oh really? Gabby that would so good! I can have everyone at the bar tomorrow morning to start setting up!" Without knowing what to say or do, Gabby just smiled, deciding it was better to focus on the injuries not the situation.

"Yeah well let's get you to the hospital and then talk about the bar..." Sending a look that could kill to Herman, Gabby helped to lift Amanda from the floor, walking her over to their ambulance, watching as 43 moved to send the other victim to the hospital, their sirens echoing through the open doors of the hall.

Gabby was silent as she and Shay helped Amanda into the back of the ambo, Amanda still asking Herman questions about Molly's and how to organize for the next day set up. "It'll be no problem, we can get it sorted and it's Gabby's night off so it'll be fine!" He smiled widely at Gabby's annoyance, clearly telling him that she wasn't impressed with the idea of why he was even saying that Gabby co-owned the bar when it wasn't true.

* * *

><p>Gabby groaned as she stood by the bar at Molly's, the blue and white decorations lighting up the usually soft lighting. She honestly had no idea how she got to this stage, how Herman had roped her into pretending that she part owner Molly's and that her nigh school reunion was now at 'her' bar. Thankfully some of 51 was there, Kelly, Shay, Herman, Otis, Cruz and Matt had been kind enough to help out during the night, although Matt was helping her more than helping the bar. And so that's where she stood, by the side of the bar, vaguely aware that Herman and Otis were serving behind her, Matt was standing at her side, beer in his hand, smile on his face and his hand discreetly clasped in hers behind her back, something that was not lost of Herman.<p>

"Gabriella, this place is amazing! So you own a bar and are a paramedic. What else do you do?" Josie, one of the girls gabby wished she could forget stood in front of her, her husband attached to her arm yet his eyes following every other girl in the bar. Gabby hated having to stand with a bunch of people who hated her in high school, who made her life a living hell but like Matt had told her before they had walked through the door to Molly's, _show them who is better, show them you are better than them, because you are..._ before he had placed a kiss to her lips before moving inside.

Smiling sweetly Gabby laughter, "yeah I know, it's a lot but it all keep me busy." Bringing her drink to her lips, Gabby felt Matt bring his hand from behind her back to wrap around her shoulders, she paused for a moment, unsure of what to do or say. She glanced up at him and smiled when she noticed that he wasn't looking at her, just smiling like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Yeah Gabby has worked hard for what she has, she is one hell of a paramedic." Matt spoke to Josie and her husband, the words falling from his mouth easily, his smile never fading. Matt knew Gabby would probably kill him for this but he wanted to make sure that everyone in that room knew that gabby was amazing, that the girl they knew in high school is no longer around and the amazing woman he had fallen for was there now. He just hoped that he could explain before she flipped out.

"So Gabby, I heard a rumour that you had a kid right out of high school ... Is that true?" Gabby glanced up to find that Amanda was now standing with Malia and Claire at her side, Amanda's husband having walked away, each of them looking exactly like that did when she was in high school, their _I'm better than you _personas shining for the world too see_. _Gabby was vaguely aware of Herman and Kelly standing behind he bar, Matt at her side with a drink in his hand, watching, waiting too see how she would answer.

But it was the strength of Matt behind her, his hand resting against her back, that made her realize that she had nothing to hide, no reason to be worried or scared, it wasn't high school anymore. Downing the rest of her drink, watching as Herman placed another one on the bar for her she turned to the girls, "Yes I did. I had a little boy, his name is James and his 10 now." She watched as the girls glanced at each other, an unsure look scabbing across their faces. "His father died when he was 4, so it's just been the two of us for a long time ... Until now..." She glanced back at Matt, taking pleasure in the real(fake)real relationship that they had been showing all night, just something else that Gabby could flaunt because she knew that the girls had been watching him all night.

Matt smiled widely, knowing that what she was saying was the complete truth even though no one else knew it. He reached for Gabby's hand, bringing it to his lips before headed back towards the bar, helping himself to another beer for himself as he watched how Gabby shone, her confidence growing with every second she was able to talk to the girls, proving that she was better than them all. "She looks happy..." Kelly's voice caught Matt attention as she took a swig of his beer. "I didn't think you were telling people..."

Matt just laughed, "We aren't, not yet at least, probably at the fireman's ball in a few weeks it'll be obvious coz she is my date but tonight is about her. She hated high school; everyone here was cruel to her so I wanted to give her a chance to prove them all wrong. Anyway she doesn't need me to help her, she is amazing as it is." Matt looked around the bar; there were many people there that had made her life a living Hell so to know she was now the centre of attention for the right reasons made him happy.

"So you are just 'pretending' to be together even though you actually are together?" Kelly raised an eyebrow at Matt, confused to as to why they couldn't just come out and say that they were together, he knew it had only been about three weeks but you could tell their relationship was already headed down a good path, they were always together, knew what the other one was thinking or feeling. It was as if they had grown up together since they were children.

Matt just sighed, after the morning at Gabby's house, he wasn't quite sure what to think about their relationship anymore. She had been fine with him after that though, sitting together on shift, having a laugh, the sideways glances or the small touches, everything was almost back to normal, except that Matt couldn't forget about her pushing him away that morning. He had told himself long ago though he wanted to make it special and he knew that wasn't going to be special if they had done it then and there but it still hurt to have her push him away from her like that, especially when he could tell there was more to what was happening than what she was letting on.

"I stayed the night at Gabby's the other day…" Matt glanced up at Kelly, taking in the shocked look on his friend's face but the fact that Matt's face showed no sign of happiness about it made Kelly worried, Matt continued, "It was great until the morning and no we didn't have sex. She was fine, we were laying in bed and having a chat and we started to make out," Matt blushed slightly, he felt like a teenager talking to his best friend about making out with the girl he liked, "and it started to get a lot more intense and then she just pushed me away, she blamed it on having to make sure James had eaten but there was something else, something more and I just has me so confused."

Matt scrunched his hands over his face, it really had been eating him about her actions, he just wanted to know what was going on. Kelly watched his friend, noticing just how frustrated he was that he didn't know what was happening, so he reached over and touched his arm, "Have you asked her about it?" The roll of Matt's eyes told Kelly that he had of course asked her about it but clearly not gotten then answer he was looking for. "Alright, alright. Well maybe you should sit down with her again and ask her again about it. Not when she is busy doing something else or when James is in the house or if you're at the firehouse. I mean when it's just the two of you, like tonight, take her home, sit her down, ask her about it and then kiss her."

Matt thought about what Kelly was saying, it seemed like a good idea, and if she was slightly tipsy it might make it easier for him to get information out of her, but he didn't want to push, didn't want to force to do or say anything she wasn't ready with. "Remember man, she has been on her own for the better part of six years, she is bound to be hesitant about things and obviously sex is one of them." Kelly smirked at Matt when he glanced up at him, clearly taking in every word that he was saying and actually thinking about it. With a pat on the back Kelly moved away from Matt, heading back to the other side of the bar to help Herman serve.

* * *

><p>Matt and Gabby lay on Gabby's couch, it was after midnight, they had just gotten home from the high school reunion and they were both tired but Gabby wanted to stay up, she didn't want to sleep just yet as she didn't have to get up the next morning and James was spending the night and next day with Antonio so she could sleep in. However, Matt was pretty sure she was asleep against his chest due to her silence and the rise and fall of her shoulders, his fingers rubbing gentle circles against her arm, the soft glow of the TV the only thing lighting up the room.<p>

Gabby had had a good night, she still hadn't forgiven those she went to school with, they had been so mean for so long but she had been able to stick it to them, proving to be happier than them all. She had also a fair bit to drink, Herman continuously handing her drinks all night to help keep her happy, something Matt actually enjoyed seeing because a smile had never left her face.

"I'm sorry..." Gabby's voice broke the silence tell him that she wasn't actually asleep but she did sound so tired. But her words shocked him, he wasn't sure what she was apologizing for, they had both enjoyed their night. She spoke again, "I'm sorry about the other morning, about me pushing you away. I just..." She sighed against his chest, tightening her grip on his waist a little afraid that he would disappear.

When she didn't speak again Matt spoke instead, wanting to get a better understanding of what was happening in her mind. "I'm not gonna lie, I was really confused when you walked out of the room-"

"And hurt..." This time she looked back at him after cutting him off, she knew she had hurt him by pushing him away, she had been able to tell by the little that he had spoken to her the rest of the morning, placing a small kiss on her cheek before leaving. "Don't lie to me Matt, I know I hurt you, and I'm sorry that I did. That was never what I wanted and it killed me to see you so upset with me." She watched him for a few moments, not sure about how he was going to react to what she was saying.

Matt just sighed, yes he was hurt when she pushed him away but he was never upset with her. Moving his hand from her arm to her face he spoke softly, "I wasn't upset with you baby, I just...I was confused and thought that I had done something or said something. I'm not going to apologize for reacting to you the way that I did, because that's what you do to me, that's how you make me feel, I just...I want to know why...the real reason why you pushed me away." He was hoping that he wasn't sounding harsh; he just really needed to know.

Gabby blushed at his words, that it was her that made him react the way he had to her, the way his body was turned on by her but that was also the reason, it had been so long since someone had made her feel the way she was feeling and it scared her to know that this was something that she could lose, that he was someone that she could lose. Sitting up and turning to face Matt, Gabby sighed, her hands wringing together as she tried to find the words she wanted to say.

"It's not you Matt, trust me it really isn't but..." Gabby watched as Matt didn't really believe her, he was just as insecure as she was, which was something she couldn't understand. "...Tell me something, how long were you with Hallie for?" She watched Matt swallow, she knew the answer so she continued, "...Since you broke up with her how many girls have you slept with? Or how easy would it have been for you to take a girl home after a night out? Or how many girls throw themselves at you?" Again Gabby watched as his brow furrowed, unsure of where she was going with the questions, also not really sure if he should answer them or if it were rhetorical.

"It's not that I care about the number Matt, honestly this has nothing to do with the answer to the question. It's just that you were with Hallie for 8 years, I've seen the types of girl who come up and talk to you at Molly's or even just while your out, I've seen the way they look at you and smile at you but me...I haven't had a relationship for almost 4 years, let alone had sex with anyone. And I guess I'm scared of that, scared of how that will change our relationship, scared of what it means for us, scared of how it will change how you will look at me. That you will compare, even if you realize your doing it or not."

Matt only blinked at Gabby, taken aback by her honesty, the words tumbling from her mouth. Taking a breath she continued, "Matt, I haven't been able to hold a relationship together, even friendship, for a long time and now having you here, I'm scared I will ruin that. I scared I won't be good enough for you..." Her last sentence left her lips quietly, each word trailing off as she looked away, too afraid to look him in the eyes, his silence making the waiting all that much worse. Now she had done it, she had said too much, freaked him out and now he was trying to decide on how to get away.

When he didn't speak Gabby groaned before pushing herself off Matt, Gabby huffed and headed towards the kitchen, desperate for a drink but also to get away from the heartbreak she assumed she was going to get. Resting her hands against the counter she waited, listening to the sounds coming from the lounge, the tell tail sound of her couch pillows moving, feet shuffling and keys rattling. He was leaving, the sound of the door latch resonating through the house, and now matter how hard she tried Gabby was not able to stop the deep sob that escaped her lips. He really was leaving.

She glanced down at her hands on the counter, finding them shaking steadily, that was however until two large, stronger hand rested over hers, a chest pressed against her back and a chin resting on her shoulder. He hadn't left. The noises she heard as that of him leaving his keys by the front door and the latch she heard was that of Matt locking the front door. Still not trusting herself to turn around, she waited to see what he would do or say. And he didn't disappoint, Matt placed a soft kiss to the area that joined her shoulder blade and neck, moving his hands from hers to wrap around her waist, turning her slowly so she was facing him.

Still she looked away, ashamed of how she was feeling, ashamed that she had told him how she was feeling, ashamed of how she had acted and yet he was still there, still holding her close. "Gabby Dawson, you have no idea how amazing you really are. I told you, I'm not going to apologize for how you make me feel and I need you to know that I want this I want all of this. I'm not expecting this to be easy for you, I understand that it hasn't been easy for you but I want to make you see that you deserve the world and I want to be the one to give it to you." Matt placed his hands gently on Gabby's face, making sure she was looking at him as he spoke. "I would never force you into doing you weren't ready for and I want it to be special between us, I don't want you to regret anything that happens."

Leaning forward Matt slowly placed his lips to hers; hearing a soft sob come from her lips as she let him kiss her, let her eyes slip shut and her body lean into his. They stood there for a few minutes, their lips just touching, their bodies clinging to each other tightly. As Matt pulled away he smiled down at her, watching as she slowly opened her eyes, her lips barely apart. "Gabby, I know that you are scared, I know that this is something different for you but I'm not going anywhere, I'm not leaving you and I will wait for you as long as you need, I just want to be with you, be near you. Spending time you and James…it's the best part of my day, I want to prove to you that I'm not going anywhere. I know this is all very sudden and its we have only been together for about a month but you have been around the firehouse for almost 10 months and I-"

Taking a deep Matt searched Gabby's eyes for any sign that she was freaking out but the small smile on her face encouraged him to continue, "-I have fallen in love with you…"

**What do you all think?**


	16. Taking Aim

**You guys! 16 reviews for the last chapter!? I don't believe it! I love you all! **

**I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, I don't know if it feel disjointed at all but I hope it works. Also, the part with Matt and James (You'll know it when you read it) has been bouncing around my head for a while so I hope its ok, it is kinda out of left field but I wanna keep up the father figure that Matt is to James.**

**Thoughts?**

**Chapter 16 –Taking Aim**

Gabby blinked at Matt, she was unsure of what to say to him, she knew it was true, she could tell, she also knew that she had fallen in love with him as well but that didn't make it any easier to say it back, she was still terrified because if she says it, their relationship becomes real and real is something that can be broken. Her smile had fallen from her lips but his had grown, a sense of relief washing over him. "God I have been wanted to tell you that for so long. It's ok if you don't feel the same or can't say it, I just needed to tell you…"

Matt reached for Gabby's hands and brought them to his lips, a small tear slipping from her eye as he did so, her small smile coming back to her lips. Matt moved from the kitchen, their hands still tangled together as he lead her to the bedroom, needing to hold her close. And so that's what he did, laying together in the night, he held her close, placing gently kisses on her cheek, her neck and her lips. Gabby's smile in the darkness encouraging him that everything he was feeling wasn't the only one with those feelings, he just understood that it was hard for her.

The next morning brought a smile to her face, she had assumed that he would be gone when she woke up, assumed he would have changed his mind sometime during the night but instead she rolled over to find Matt laying on his stomach, his arms stretched out, one across her back and the other hanging off the bed, his face squished into the pillow. He looked adorable, and that didn't change when he sighed in his sleep, rolling onto his side and pulling Gabby towards him, her name slipping from his lips as a smile playing on his face.

It didn't take long for him to wake up though, when her arms went around his neck, her lips touching his bare chest, he groaned, "Morning baby," as his eyes opened to the new day, brightening instantly as his arms tightened around her.

* * *

><p>"Hey what's going on with you?" You've been quiet since the start of shift, staring into space…what is going on?" Shay looked over Gabby as they drove back to the firehouse after being called out. It was just before lunchtime and she had been watching Gabby all morning, worried about her friend as she had become really quiet, almost as though she was in another world. On the call she was fine, same old Gabby but when she in the house or in the ambo she was silent, her mind ticking over as she thought.<p>

It had been the shift after her high school reunion, the shift after she had told Matt what she was feeling about them, the shift after he had told her that he loved her and the shift after she hadn't been able to bring herself to say it back. He understood though, he had taken her hand, lead her to the bedroom, allowed her to change and then changed himself before laying down in the bed next to her, wrapping his arms around her tightly and holding her as he placed a gently kiss on her forehead. She remembered what he had said to her, remembered that he wasn't going anywhere and that he had smiled brightly as he had woken up the next morning, as though nothing had changed between them.

"Matt told me he loved me last night…Actually he told me he had fallen in love with me…" The words tumbled from Gabby's mouth suddenly; shocking even Shay who didn't hadn't expected those words to be spoken. Gabby glanced back at Shay as she pulled into the garage of the firehouse, backing in slowly.

"Wow, that's great!" But the look on Gabby's face stunned her for a moment, "…isn't it?" Shay was concerned, she knew that Gabby loved Matt; she could tell by the way she looked at him, the way her face lit up when he was around and the glances that she sent him when they were around each other.

Gabby sighed, "Yeah it is…I just couldn't say it back." She rubbed her hand over her forehead as she jumped out the rig, glad that everyone was already inside for lunch so she didn't have to worry about them overhearing their conversation. Especially when Shay reached for Gabby, turning her around and looking shocked at her.

"What do you mean you couldn't say it back? Don't you feel the same?" Shay couldn't believe it; she honestly thought Gabby would have said it as well.

"Of course I do Shay!" Gabby's raised voice caused Shay to falter for a moment, this wasn't like Gabby, she really hadn't ever heard Gabby raise her voice, even at James. "I'm sorry, I just…I have been thinking about it for the last two days and I guess I am just frustrated. You have no idea how much I wanted to be able to say it back to him, no idea how much I wanted to wrap my arms around his neck and just tell him how much he means to me but … this is all so sudden, I can't believe I feel like this after only been going out for just over a month…"

But Shay cut her off, "Gabby, listen to me, you and Matt have been hip locked since the moment you walked into this place. You became friends the minute you spoke and I have a feeling he has loved you for almost as long as you have been here. I haven't seen him this happy in years. It's not a surprise that you feel the way you do, he makes you happy. He isn't going anywhere, you deserve to be happy and he makes you happy. Just tell him…" And with that Shay walked away, leaving Gabby to think about what she had said.

It was true, she and Matt had been almost inseparable since she had come to 51, always around each other, always talking, even after the whole school fire, Matt had not stepped away, he had not changed his mind, he had stay, gotten to know James and become the father figure that Gabby had wanted for James, but like always, Gabby thought about the next step and what could mean for her relationship. Saying _I love you_ or having sex changed the relationship and considering she felt so strongly for Matt, she was scared of how things would change if she let herself give herself completely over to Matt.

She wanted it though, almost every night she would dream about being with Matt, even when he was asleep next her to her, she would wake up in a sweat and frustrated, still without the courage to wake him up. Groaning she moved back to the common room, looking around she found everyone at the table, each digging into their own plate, having a laugh about something that was being said. As she looked around she noticed that the only seat free was one next to Matt, who was smiling brightly at some story that Herman was telling them. Taking a deep breath, Gabby made her way to the table, sitting slowly while reaching for her food.

She listened quietly, thinking closely about what Matt was saying, thinking about what Shay had said and how she left about Matt. She loved him, she was _in love _with him, and all she had to do was tell him. He had been so caring after he told her, never taking it to heart that she hadn't said it back, never pressuring her for anything at all, he was content with being with her any way she was allowing at this stage, in the end she was the one with the most to lose, she had James to think about. A hand on her knee pulled her from her thoughts, glancing down she realised that Matt had placed his hand on her knee under the table, giving it a small squeeze slightly but he continued to laugh at the stories being told, he never even gave her a second glance, it was as if he knew what she was thinking, he knew just how to make her feel better.

Her hand instantly reached for his, tightening around it, earning a glance from him and when their eyes met they both smiled, a smile shared between the two that spoke more than words ever could. It wasn't until her name was called out that she was pulled away from Matt, glancing up the table she noticed that Shay had called out to her, something about telling the story about a call they had been on that send a man to the hospital sedated with makeup on because he had groped her, sending fits of laughter up the table as she told the story, finally happy to be able to join in the with the conversations.

* * *

><p>It had been a week and a half, a total of 12 days since matt had told gabby that he loved her, no that he had fallen in love with her, those extra words adding to the meaning in a way that she couldn't completely understand. But it had and she thought he would have been upset, angry that she hadn't said it back, but he wasn't, he wasn't even frustrated. He hadn't said it again, well maybe once when he thought she was asleep, whispering it into the darkness of her bedroom that he now had spent more time in than his own. She just couldn't understand how she had gotten so lucky, how could he not be upset?<p>

"You alright mum?" James' voice had caught Gabby's attention and she looked up to find James heading through the double doors, being dropped off by a friend from school when Gabby had been called out during the shift and would not have made pick up time. She looked up and smiled at her son, he was everything to her and she planned on making sure that he was able to have everything that he wanted but as she outstretched her arms for him to give her a hug, his eye line changed and his face lit up, before he headed passed the couch where Gabby was. "Hi Matt!"

With that, James embraced Matt, her arms wrapping around his middle, as Matt looked down, slightly shocked, having being focussed on his phone as he walked through the door. "Hey kid, what's going on? Finished school already?" Matt placed his hand on James' shoulder and let him towards the couch where Gabby was already sitting, waiting patiently with a fake pout because James had not give her a hug hello. "You looking forward to going to seeing the Hawks again tomorrow night?" James had had so much fun the last time Kelly and Matt had taken him to the game that they had offered to take him again, this time to see the Hawks play the Bruins. James' face lit up at Matt's question, he hadn't been able to stop talking about the game since he told he was going.

The night after shift had come and Gabby was tired, they had been getting calls all night, running in and out of the firehouse with less than 3 hours sleep, she just wanted to sleep but James had kept her up all day with his excitement of going to see the Hawks game with Matt that he hadn't realised his mother needed sleep. James had been difficult the last few days, she was really sure why or what was going on but he had been argumentative, testy and would talk back to her. She was shocked as to how he was acting, having never experienced it before, unsure of how to handle it. She had threatened to not allow him to go to the game with Matt and Kelly but Matt had talked about how excited he was to take James again that she didn't want to break his heart.

It wasn't until she had told James to go and have a shower that she got a chance to lie down, falling asleep instantly. There was a brief moment when she had heard Matt calling her name, fingers touching her cheek and a kiss on her forehead, words telling her that they were leaving and hands guiding her to her bed but other than that she was completely blank to the rest of the world. As far as she had known James had been on his best behaviour all night and she had woken up to Matt lying by her side, holding her tightly to his chest.

* * *

><p>"JAMES CHRISTIAN DAWSON! You get back here right now! You do not slam the rig door and you do not walk away from me when I'm talking to you!" Gabby chased her suddenly defiant 10 year old into the common room of the firehouse, the child getting a split second head start on his seething mother. As she pushed through the double doors she didn't even care that everyone in the house was watching their interacting, she was that angry. She did know Matt was there, watching closely as she reached for her son who slipped from her grasp.<p>

"Don't touch me! You don't care what I have to say about it! You didn't care when I tried to talk to you about it before! Why should I listen to you now?" James stood, his hands on is hips, mimicking his mothers stance. "Do you even care that they were calling you bad things? That they said that dad didn't love me or that you were just a whore! I know what it means mum! I looked it up!" The young boys voice echoed through the deathly silent room as Gabby processed the information she was being given.

But she still didn't care. "I have been called a lot worse James, don't stand there and act like it's an excuse to start a fight with another kid! What has gotten into you? You've never been in a fight before." She tried to take a step closer to him, trying to calm down the Dawson anger she knew all too well but it didn't work.

"Why do you care? You never wanted me! ..." James voice trailed off, dropping so low of there were any noise in the room it wouldn't have been heard, "...you're a bitch..."

An echoed gasp was hear coming from the room, each person staring at the little boy and his mother, unsure of what to do. Matt watched closely, his mouth dropped open in complete shock, as James looked away, even shocked at what he had said, Matt could tell he instantly regretted the words as they fell from his mouth.

Gabby's back snapped upright, her eyebrows skyrocketing and her mouth opening in shock. A look flashing over face none of them had seen before, her mouth then tightening up in anger but her eyes welled with tears, her voice wavering, "Matt's office...now," there was no raised voices now, Gabby's anger dripping from just the forcefulness of her voice. "You are going to sit in his office, finish your homework and I will be in talk to you later. Do you understand me?"

She watched as James looked up, sadness covering his face but he nodded, after what he had just said he wasn't going to even put up a fight. Turning slowly James headed out the side door, his shoulders slumped, backpack dragging along the floor and his head down. Letting out the deep shaky breath Gabby didn't know she was holding, she glanced up to the rest of the room, all eyes on her, all of sympathy and understanding but she could handle it, she needed to get some space and some air. Rubbing her hand over her face, she turned on her heels and headed for the locker room, knowing she would get the privacy she needed there.

Matt and Shay shared a glance at each other, not really knowing what to do, Matt torn between having a chat with gabby and a discussion is James although he knew it wasn't his place to go to James, in this situation at least and so he opted for the better option, making his way towards the locker room, Herman on his tail. Stepping into the locker room matt and Herman found gabby straddling the benches, her head down and her shoulder shaking slightly.

Taking a seat opposite Gabby, Matt spoke, "You ok?" He watched as she nodded keeping her head down, a small tear slipping down her cheek.

"Yea, I just ... The last few days he has just been really difficult. I have no idea what has gotten into him. He has been talking back to me, getting angry over nothing, arguing and yelling. I have no idea why." She looked up at Matt now, her eyes pleading for some help, not sure how to deal with the child.

"Do you think it's because of the two of you?" Gabby turned suddenly at the sound of Herman's voice, not realizing he was there. "Yeah don't worry, I'm not gonna tell anyone, I see the way you look at each other. Anyway, could this be because of the two of you? I mean, it has just been the two of you for almost 7 years, maybe he feels like you won't have time for him anymore." Herman watched as gabby turned towards matt, shock flashing over her face.

"Nah I don't think so, he was really happy about us. He wanted me around more. I think this is something else." Matt spoke as he reached for Gabby's hand, squeezing it tightly before glancing back at Herman.

There was silence between them for a minute, unsure of what to say but it was Herman who spoke, taking a seat behind gabby, his hand resting on her back. "I was thinking, Leigh Henry went through something similar when he a year or so out from puberty. Started getting into fights at school...maybe that's what this is..." Gabby took a moment to think about what Herman as saying. "He started fighting with Cindy as well, everything she said or did he had an issue with." Could it be possible? She knew he was a few years out from puberty hitting completely but it wouldn't be completely strange for things to be happening earlier.

"Do you want me to speak to him? Might help?" Matt watched closely as Gabby thought about it, searching his eyes for the help she was needing. He didn't want to overstep his bounds but he wanted to offer what he could. She gave a small nod and watched as he stood, placing a quick kiss on her cheek before heading out the door towards his office.

Once Matt has out of the room, Herman took Matt's seat, touching Gabby's arm in the process. "Hey kid, don't worry. It'll be all right. He's never done that before?" He watched as Gabby shook her head again, letting out a wet laugh, rubbing her hands over her face.

"Oh god! No never, even as a kid he didn't have tantrums, I mean he is a Dawson so he has the temper but never has he spoken to me like that before. I just didn't expect it, ya know?" She looked up at Herman, thankful that he was there, talking to her, one parent to another. Herman just nodded, looking over the single mother who was now lost for words at what to say or do with her 10 year old.

Matt glanced around the bunkroom, thankful no one else was around and so he headed for his office, finding the door open, James sitting at his desk, his feet hanging limply at the edge. His head was in his hands and he was staring at his open Math book on the desk, tears streaking down his face. Moving into the room, Matt closed the door behind him, letting it click quietly, James not even bothering to move from his position and so Matt took a seat on the bed, just giving him time to calm his breathing, something that he could tell was happening when the sobs quietened down.

After a few moments James let his hands drop to the desk, a deep breath being pulled into his lungs before he spoke, "I'm sorry." It was quiet but matt heard it.

Matt thought over his words for a moment, deciding that he was going to be tough with the kid, he didn't want to allow James to think it was ok to talk like that to his mother and then apologise, he had to know that it wasn't ok, although he knew that James already knew that. "I don't think I'm the one you should be apologising to James." Matt watched as James just nodded, he knew it wasn't going to work, he knew that Matt wouldn't accept his apology.

A few minutes passed again in silence, Matt watching as James rubbed his face, the child looking even more like a child with each moment that passed. Sighing Matt leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he spoke, "What is going on kid? Mum tells me that you've been misbehaving recently and now you're getting into fights and you speak to her the way you did today …that is not on." Matt was determined to be strong in this situation, he was the father figure James needed in his life, as Gabby had told him on more than one occasion and so he was intent on living up to that.

When James didn't answer, Matt continued, "Did mum do something? Is it because of me and you're mum? Did something happen at school?" Again Matt was met with silence, he was trying to reach the kid but he honestly didn't know how and so he sighed, standing slowly, thinking that maybe James just did need some time alone.

As he reached the door James looked up at him, "Don't go…" His voice was so soft, he sounded so lost and confused and sad that Matt couldn't help but turn around and look at him, couldn't help but sit back on the bed, watching as James turned in the chair to face Matt but he did look at him, James kept his eyes down, his feet swinging slightly and his hands fiddling, thinking about what to say to Matt. Taking a breath James spoke, "It's not because of you and mum, I am _so _happy that you are together finally it's just …I don't know what has been going on. I feel angry some days and happy the next. And the other night I…"

Matt watched, as James became silent, embarrassment coming over the boy's face. He swallowed deeply before continuing, knowing that Matt had always been there for him when he needed it, never judging no matter the situation. "The other night I wet the bed…"

Matt scrunched his face up, confused at to how this would have made him act the way he had been but Herman's words echoed through his head, _'Leigh Henry went through something similar when he a year or so out from puberty'_. Matt thought for a moment, he didn't wet the bed the other night, it was something more than that and he was ashamed, taking it out on his mother and his fights were the result of his body growing, he was becoming angrier with each time the kids at school had made jokes about his dad or Gabby, not knowing how to deal with those feelings he had acted out. Sighing deeply, Matt reached out for James, pulling him gently towards the bed, "It was different that just wetting the bed wasn't it?"

James shrugged, he wasn't really sure but he had knowing it was different; he just didn't know what was happening. Glancing up at Matt, he was shocked to see a small smile on his lips before Matt continued to explain about what had actually happened, telling him that it was normal for those things to happen because he was growing up. Matt was doing James' fathers job, telling him about the specifics of what to expect. James asked questions about when Matt was growing up, what Matt had experience and although it was a bit awkward to start with Matt answered every question James asked, he knew it was not normal for it start this early but also knew that things did happen early, even if James was a few years off puberty.

After speaking for almost an hour about everything that had been happening for James, he was feeling better although still unsure about how act around his mother. "Please don't tell mum…" but the look on Matt's face told him that that wasn't going to happen.

"I will tell her only what she needs to know but it is _not_ ok to speak to her the way you did. You really hurt her feelings. You understand that right?" James nodded against Matt's side. "She is probably going to ground you, you know that as well yeah?" James nodded again, silence still coming from the little boy. "Come on, I think it's time you go and apologise to your mum. She loves you more than you know and she is really hurt right now." Matt stood, pushing James gently in the direction of the locker room, where Gabby still was, watching from the doorway as James stepped slowly towards his mum, his hand reaching out and touching her shoulder gently, causing her to turn around. He spoke for a minute before Gabby wrapped his arms around his shoulder, bringing him into a tight hug, sending a thankful smile in Matt's direction.

**Ok so I'm not sure about this chapter…thoughts? The next chapter should be much more interesting as well! :D**


	17. How Much Do You Love Me?

**Hey guys, thanks for the love with the last chapter! Made me feel better about writing the last chapter! Enjoy this one :D. I had a brain burst with this chapter thanks to the (so far) 14 reviews of the last chapter! **

**Also I rewatched the scene where Shay and Gabby were dress shopping before the Christmas party she and Matt went to …any one else LOVE the cream dress she was wearing before being called away? The one she **_**didn't **_**choose?**

**Also I had something written about Casey and Dawson here that was good but then I read somewhere about Casey's 'new controversial romance' which came from Jesse himself…this is not ok! How can the writers give the fans so much, bring them back together through so much then to just take it away? Honestly I still think they will end up together, for this same reason, they have been through so much, I think this is just something they wanted to see how it goes but its still not fair, the next probably 4 or 5 episodes are going to be so hard to watch **** I don't like it. **

**Chapter 17 – How Much Do You Love Me?**

James had settled over the last week and a half, after speaking to Matt about what was happening he had gone back to the kid that Gabby knew and loved, the one that she had raised on her own, although she was glad Matt had been there for her when she had needed him the most. Sitting on the couch in her lounge, Gabby listened to Matt in the shower, having the day off he had stayed the night, dropping James off at school before coming back to find him in the shower, she had decided to wait for him, intent on just enjoying their day together. Thinking back to the conversation she had had with Matt after his with James, she smiled to herself as she thought about it.

_Sitting with her back against the couch, Gabby watched blankly at the TV, listening as Matt said good night to James who was still unsure around his mother, after having their fight, apologising and James getting his punishment, he wanted to give his mother as much space as he could, not wanting to upset her anymore. She had told him that he wouldn't be allowed at the firehouse for the next two weeks. Something she knew he would be upset about but that was the point. It wasn't like she could take away his phone or Internet or not let him out of the house to be with his friends because he was only ten years old and so she thought about what he found most important and that was spending time at the firehouse. _

_She watched as his bottom lip quivered when she had told him but he also knew he deserved it, he knew he couldn't speak to his mother that way. And so she was sitting on the couch, Matt putting him to bed before making his way back to the couch, sitting down next to Gabby who curled into his arms, her legs coming over his and their arms wrapping around each other. Matt placed a gently kiss to her forehead, feeling her sigh again him. "Do you think I was too harsh? Not letting him in the firehouse for 2 weeks?" She turned slightly to look at Matt, needing to know what she did was right. _

_Matt blinked at Gabby for a moment, part of him happy that she was asking his opinion about how she was dealing with James' behaviour, telling him that she obviously wanted his input. Taking a deep breath, Matt moved some hair from Gabby's face, smiling gently, "You know if he had talked to me without the fight you guys had, I would have said yeah, maybe 2 weeks was a bit harsh but considering how he spoke to you before hand, no I don't think it was harsh. Regardless of what is happening in his life, you are his mother and he can't talk to you that way." _

_Gabby smiled, glad that he agreed with her, but then something came over her, something about his words making her think. "What did he tell you? A one hour conversation with you and he is apologising…what did you say to him?" Matt knew this question was coming, he had thought about what he was going to tell her, thought about how he was going to tell her. It wasn't going to be easy but he knew he had too, especially with the look she was giving him, there was no way he could not tell her. _

_Sighing deeply, Matt pulled Gabby closer to him, leaning over and touching the off button on the remote, needing her full attention. "I went to talk to him, just waiting for him to talk and it took him a while but he told me that he wet the bed the other night…" Matt looked at Gabby for a minute, confusion coming over her face as she thought about what he was saying. _

_Why was that something that would cause him to act the way he was? Why was that something he wasn't able to tell her about when it happened originally? James had never been shy about talking to his mother. Gabby's confusion made Matt laugh, it was the same look he knew he had given James when he had told him. "I gave him the same look as you are giving me now but then I remember what Herman had said about Leigh Henry and the fights he started getting into at school…a few years before he hit puberty…" Cocking her head to the side Gabby thought for a moment before realisation washed over her face. _

_Matt laughed again, "Yea I gave him that look as well. I talked to him about it, explained as well as I could and that it wasn't that he wet the bed. I told him that it was normal and that it happened again he needed to tell you or me if I was here. That it wasn't something to ashamed about or embarrassed about. I think he was worried you would yell at him or something if he told you." Matt watched as Gabby nodded, thinking about what he was saying. _

"_He asked me questions about when I was growing up… it was hard at first but I knew he was curious so I explained as much as I thought was appropriate, considering he hasn't actually started puberty yet, I didn't want to freak him out." Matt looked back at Gabby, unsure of how she was going to react when he told her, he was still concerned about over stepping his bounds. _

_But the smile on Gabby's face grew when she looked back at him, her lips touching his lightly before she spoke, "I don't know what I would do without you Matt. Thank you for being here, thank you for talking to him." She leaned in again and placed her lips to his again, this time more passion behind the kiss, needing him to feel everything she was and when he slipped his hands to her cheeks, holding her close, she knew that he understood. _

"Hey what thought are you lost in?" Matt's voice caught Gabby's attention as he leaned down and wrapped his arms around her shoulders from the behind the couch, a soft kiss touching her neck. Gabby smiled to herself and let her hands rest against his forearms, her head leaning to the side to rest against his.

"Just you…" She turned to smile at him, placing a kiss on his cheek, taking in his still wet hair and the smell of soap that met her nose as she took a deep breath.

"Hey I just got a phone call from someone I did a job for a few weeks ago and they need my help today, I told them that I could be there by 11. I'm so sorry, I know I said we would spend the day together but they sounded desperate..." Matt sighed against Gabby's neck, he really didn't want to leave her, really was looking forward to spending the day together, he also hoped that she wasn't too upset with him.

"Oh it's ok, you do what you need to. Really. We can catch up later if you are free." Matt looked down at Gabby, trying to gauge her response, seeing the smile on her lips and in her eyes he sighed happily, touching his lips to her before pulling away.

"Absolutely! Maybe we can head out to the movies tonight. James was talking about wanting to see Big Hero 6 so though it would be good." With one last smile, kiss and an 'I'll call you later' Matt was out the door, heading home to change into something more comfortable to work in before heading to his job.

Sitting back against the couch, Gabby looked around her now quiet house, she was finally happy. Finally getting her life together and she had Matt to thank for that and so she decided, then and there that at the end of the week, when she and Matt would be heading to the Gala dinner together, announcing their relationship, she would tell him that she was in love with him as well and hoped that she hadn't waited to long. Reaching for her phone, she called Shay, needing a dress and her best friends input on that dress. "Hey Shay, you busy?...Good, I need a dress for the dinner, wanna go shopping?" All she had to do was wait for the small squeal that Shay let out to know her friend would be joining her. Before making plans and heading out the front door, starting her day with dress shopping.

* * *

><p>"So do you have any idea about what you like?" Shay looked up at Gabby who had two completely different dresses in her hand, looking between the two looking confused. She smirked at Gabby, she could also tell that she wasn't look at the dress itself but also which one Matt would have liked better. "Hey! You listening?" Shay tried again when Gabby didn't reply, trying to get her friends attention but only succeeded in having a few other people in the shop look at her.<p>

Moving close to Gabby Shay noticed that she wasn't even looking at the dresses now, she was just staring directly in front of her. "Hey, don't over think this ok. He is going to love you no matter what you wear. James will be staying at Antonio's for the night and you and Matt will finally have sex and you will finally know that it's ok to _want_ something for yourself." Gabby glanced up at Shay, having heard everything she had said she had nodded moving closer to the fitting room to try the dresses on.

One was a deep purple with an open back, it sat tightly against her chest but flowed around her knees from her hips, it was beautiful, sitting perfectly on her hips. "Oh Gabby, that's amazing, you look great!" Shay smiled widely at Gabby who still hadn't said a word to her, just looking back at herself in the mirror, her hands moving over the skirt of the dress. They had been two four different stores already, tried on 8 different dresses and Shay had given Gabby the same compliment, making Gabby's decision harder.

Sighing, she glanced at the cream dress hanging in the stall still, it was more expensive than she would have liked to spend but she was drawn to it, the small gold lining and the criss cross back, it was an amazing dress. "I think I'll try this one on though…" She turned from Shay, her voice barely above a whisper, something Shay knew to be Gabby not really trusting herself or the way she looked. After a few minutes of getting the new dress on Gabby looked at herself in the mirror of the stall, it was perfect, everything about this dress was perfect and she hoped that Matt saw that too. Taking a deep breath, Gabby moved from the inside of the stall to the outside where Shay sat, waiting patiently.

This time Shay didn't speak, she didn't comment or smile, her mouth just dropped open at the sight of her friend in the cream dress that sat just above her knees, hugged every curve perfectly and added to the dark colour of her skin. She was stunning; there was no two ways about it. "Oh wow, Gabby. You look…that dress is stunning…" Shay's voice didn't even get above a whisper as she looked at Gabby, there was _nothing_ wrong with this dress, it was made for her. "That's it, that's the one…"

Gabby ran her hands over her stomach, hoping that she didn't look terrible in the tight fitting dress but she smiled as she turned to look in the mirror. "This is it. This is the dress." She looked at herself again and smiled widely, this is what she was looking for, this is the type of dress she wanted. Looking back at Shay, Gabby smiled, seeing how Shay was looking at her.

"Matt will adore you in this dress. The shoes are perfect and the jewellery is great. Come on, lets pay for it!" Shay jumped up excitedly, reaching for Gabby's wallet but was stopped by Gabby as she reached for her credit card.

"Wait…" She looked down, looking at the dress and then back at the one still on the hanger, the one she liked and the cheaper one. "Maybe I'll grab the other one. It's not as expensive…" She was looking everywhere but at Shay, ashamed that she couldn't afford to buy the dress that she wanted.

"What? Why!? I thought this was the one you wanted…" Shay was confused, what had changed in the last few minutes of deciding that this was the dress she wanted and reaching for her card—Shay stopped suddenly and look back at Gabby, "You're worried about the price, aren't you?" Shay watched as Gabby nodded, still not looking at her. "Oh honey, it's ok. If you cant afford it, we can look somewhere else." Shay noticed as Gabby nodded again slowly, looking at herself in the mirror though, still taking in the dress she loved.

"Its just … I can afford it at the moment, its just that I have to worry about James and making sure he gets what needs. It's not like he needs anything right now. It is just me bringing in the money so when he asks for something I hate to say no. Like the other day he asked me if I could buy him some new ice skates and I had to say no because I really couldn't have afforded them at the time. He understands, it's just hard that I can't give him everything he wants, and now I'm standing here, intending on spending $200 on myself. It's just hard." Gabby glanced up at Shay in the mirrors reflection, noticing that Shay's mouth was tight with concern, but then her eyes flashed with something.

"When is your birthday?" Gabby glanced back at Shay confused, not really sure where she was going with the question. "Just tell me…" Shay rolled her eyes at Gabby when she hesitated again.

"Next month…end of November…" Her confused look deepened as Shay's smirk widened and she moved towards the counter. Speaking to the girl at the desk for a moment, Gabby noticed that she began to flirt with her, talking about the girls necklace and her earrings, before pointing to Gabby and smiling and leaning over the counter. Gabby shook her head, trust Shay to find the gay sales assistant. She watched again as Shay handed her Gabby's credit card and then her own. "Shay what are you doing?" Gabby whisper called over to her friend who just waved her off, watching for a few moments before Shay came back to her.

"So a) how much do you love me? I got the dress for $150 and b) happy birthday because it only cost you $75." Shay watched as Gabby's eyes welled up, appreciation and happiness flooding her face as she leaned forward and hugged her close. "And don't mention it, the girl at the counter is hot and I just got myself a date…" Shay laughed as she smacked Gabby's bum before turning her back towards the stall. "Get changed, lets go and have lunch because I am wasting away here and I'm sure by the time we are done lover boy will also be done and you guys can make out like teenagers as much as you want before having to pick James up from school."

Gabby just laughed, heading back into the stall to change back into her jeans and shirt, thankful to have Shay in her life. Exiting the stall, Gabby stopped Shay from moving too far, "Thank you so much Shay, you have no idea how much I love this dress and I love you so much for helped me with it. I wish you hadn't've but thank you…" Wrapping her arms around Shay once more, Gabby hugged her tightly.

"Oh honey, don't thank me, it's fine I promise. Now lets go!" The walked arm in arm out of the shop, Shay shooting the girl at the desk a smile and an "I'll call you later" as they headed towards the food, intent on filling their stomach's with as much crap as they could handle.

Shay and Gabby headed back into Gabby's house, their heads dipped back in laughter as they walked through the front door. Gabby dropped her keys on the counter before heading to the bedroom and dropping the bags with her new dress, thankful that she already had matching shoes, as well as the small bag with jewellery onto the bed. "Oh god, I am so tired!" She called out from the bedroom as she pulled off her shoes and jacket, before making her way into the lounge, to find Shay standing at the open door. "What's up?" She looked back to find Shay turning to face her, a bunch of roses in her hand.

"Um…these just came for you, I was closing the door when someone called out…" She handed the roses to Gabby who smiled, smelling them and the read the card, her cheeks brightening as she bit her lip. "What is it? What does it say?" she leaned over and looked at the card, smiling at Matt's handwriting

_Baby, I'm sorry, this job is taking long than I thought but meet me at the cinemas at 7.30pm and we can take James to see the movie. I love you baby and I hope you had a great day with Shay xx_

"How did he know you would be with me?" Shay glanced at Gabby, smirking at how happy Gabby had been with Matt, glad they had found each other.

"Ah I dunno, I guess he just assumed that I would call you if I knew he wasn't going to be here…" Gabby smiled up at Shay as she moved towards the kitchen to put the flowers in a vase, reaching for the tea, making some for both herself and Shay.

"God he knows you too well and it makes me sick…actually you both make me sick!" Shay made a 'sick' face at Gabby who just laughed, turning her back to Shay as she continued to pretend to be sick. "Come on, we have to head out and pick James up, he will be thrilled when you tell him that you are meeting Matt at the movies." Shay and Gabby headed back out the door, realising that it was almost pick up time, especially if they were going to drop Shay back off at her car outside their house.

* * *

><p>Gabby stood nervously in front of her mirror. Shay had come and done her hair almost an hour ago, Kelly and Matt would be there within the next 10 minutes and Antonio was already sitting down stairs, James having insisted that he wanted to see his mother and Matt together before they left to go back to his uncles place for the night. She could hear them talking and laughing down the hall, James laughing echoing above the others. Taking a deep breath she heard a knock at the door, her nerves deepening as she heard Shay calling out from behind the door.<p>

"Hey I'm coming in," Before the door opened slowly and Shay gasped, "Oh my god Gabby you look stunning!" She moved further into the room, letting the door shut behind her as she came to sit by the side of Gabby's bed. "Let's get out there because I can tell you right now, Matt looks hot!" She smirked when Gabby laughed, still very unsure about herself and what she as wearing. "I'm serious! Let's go already, I'm looking forward to tonight."

Gabby was glad that Shay had agreed to go with Kelly to the gala dinner, giving her someone else to count on in case she started to freak out and it was clear that she already was starting to freak out. Taking a deep breath gabby turned to face shay, reading for her bag before making her way to the bedroom door. One foot in front of the other gabby made her way into the lounge to find Matt standing with his back to her, James and Antonio facing her direction but never noticing her and jelly tan ding off to the side, noticing her instantly but not saying anything.

She watched as James stopped talking mid sentence to look behind Matt, Antonio and Kelly also turning their eyes to Gabby as she stood in the hallway, watching the group interact. Slowly Matt turned around, the smiles and looks of shock on everyone else's faces made him nervous, she must have look beautiful if they looked like that but as he turned nothing could have prepared him for what he saw.

Standing in the doorway to the hallway was Gabby and his mouth dropped open, his eyes blinking quickly and his breath speeding up. His eyes travelled over her slowly, her hair was half pinned back and in slight curls, framing her face gently, her make was soft and simple, but her lips were bright red, daring and sexy all in one hit. Her dressed hugged her curves enough to show them off but make her look natural, the light cream and gold colour highlighting her dark skin, stopping just above her knees, showing off her long legs he had always dreamed about as they lay wrapped in each others arms. He watched as her hands fidgeted nervously under his gaze, the sparking bracelet around her wrist shining in the lights.

Licking his lips and swallowing deeply Matt blinked a few times, trying to find his voice, "Wow, Gabby you look…stunning…" the words were soft, his hands suddenly shaking as he took in the deep blush that rose in her cheeks, her head dropping in embarrassment.

"You're not so bad yourself…" Her reply was soft; her eyes taking him all in. his dark 2-piece suit making her mouth dry as she took him in. His hair was styled back slightly, his jacket hanging over his arm and his tie neatly around his neck. Taking a step closer to Matt, Gabby reached out her hand, taking his in hers as she looked around the rest of the room, their smiles widening as Gabby greeted them all. "You all look so good." She then glanced at her brother and then at James, "You be good for uncle Antonio yeah? He is taking you ice-skating tomorrow afternoon so I won't see you until tomorrow night. I love you kiddo." She leaned down and placed a kiss on James head, his mouth still open at the person standing in front of him who he knew to be his mother but had never seen her look that way before.

"Have fun Gabs…" Antonio spoke to his sister as he gave her a hug goodbye, all of them heading out the door, he waited for Gabby to lock up, glancing at Matt who was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes still on Gabby, looking both terrified and in love all at once. With one last hug, Antonio whispered in her ear, "Have fun tonight…you and Matt deserve it…" He flashed a smile and a wink at his sister, watching as she blushed, her brother was not stupid, he knew what was going to happen tonight, what she had planned and wanted to happen for a long time now. Taking each step down the wet stairs Gabby reached for Matt again, their arms locking as they walked to cars waiting for them, cars that Matt and Kelly had organised to take them to the dinner.

* * *

><p>Gabby and Matt sat in the back of the black car heading towards the dinner, their hands locking tightly in each others, both too nervous to say anything but as Matt brought Gabby's hand up to touch against his lips she relaxed slightly, "This is going to be a great night…" She watched as his eyes lightened, glad to hear she was excited about it as well.<p>

"I love you…" he touched her lips with his, feeling her sigh against his lips as he spoke again, "You do look amazing, you know that right?" As he pulled away he noticed the small smile that had come to her lips, still not believing his words but he smiled as he noticed they had pulled up at the front doors of the ballroom, seeing Shay and Kelly already heading inside. "You ready for this? No going back now…" He wanted to make sure she was comfortable with the situation, wanted to make sure she wasn't going to freak out and run or if he had upset her in anyway.

But the smile that had grown on her lips told him otherwise, "I wouldn't have tonight any other way…" As she moved to open the door, letting herself out with him following close behind, their hands tangled tightly together again as they headed up the stairs to the stunning double doors that awaited them. Matt felt Gabby take a deep breath as he reached for the door, guiding her inside to the warmth of the hall, both being met with amazing soft light, gently music and the sound of talking and laughter coming from down the large staircase that they had to make their way down. Taking onestep at a time, Gabby leaned closer to Matt, loving having him so close, thankful for him being there.

With each step they took, more people noticed them coming in, most just giving Matt a nod and a smile, some greeting him as 'Lieutenant' before turning back to their conversations, some smiling directly at Gabby and some staring intently at her, the younger woman in the room shocked to see her walking in with Matt, do doubt expecting him to be on his own like he had been the last few years. "They are jealous of you right now...that's how good you look tonight…" he whispered in her ear as they were about half way down the stairs, turning to face her before placing his lips against hers lovingly, feeling her lean into him as he did so.

* * *

><p>At 51's table, Herman and Cindy sat with the Chief and Donna, Mouch, Cruz, Otis, Capp and Mills, who each had been there on their own, no dates, some of them hoping to pick up someone during the night. They had been laughing loudly, chatting as Kelly and Shay walked up arm in arm to the table, greeting everyone and smiling as they exchanged comments about dresses and suits. Both Kelly and Shay knew that Gabby and Matt were heading in behind him, surprised that no one had realised that they weren't there as yet but as Herman flashed a glance behind the standing couple, his mouth dropped open Cindy, Cruz and Otis following his eye line, confused as his sudden silence.<p>

As each of them turned towards the stairs, each of them watched shocked and amused as they saw Matt and Gabby walking into together, hand in hand, smiling at how amazing Gabby looked but shocked when he turned to face her, his hands touching her cheeks as he leaned into kiss her, Gabby leaning against him as if it was the most natural thing in the world. No one said a word as they watched Matt and Gabby head close to the table, their arms locked together, Gabby's hand resting against the top of his arm. Sending knowing glances at each other across the table, each of them waited impatiently for Matt and Gabby to finally make their way over, their faces lit up with smiles and laughter as they did so.

As they reached the table, Matt and Gabby looked back at everyone watching them, glad that at least three of them, Kelly, Shay and Herman, knew about their relationship, making this a little less awkward. Matt's hand moved from Gabby's to rest against her side, pulling her close to his side, "Hey guys…"

**Thoughts?**


	18. Holding Back

**Ok so reading an interview with Jesse Spencer and hearing him say that 'Casey has moved on from Dawson now' makes me kinda of upset. I mean the writers give us all the shit they did in the first season and a half between them, then finally put the together and now they just ending them, just like that?! I want to believe that Dawsey is still endgame, I mean give to us all the stuff with them, making it through the head injury and the bomb, the talk about facing the future together, the engagement, their own apartment stage and then to just end it, doesn't feel right. Honestly I like Dawson before, I'm not a fan of her character at the moment and I'm hoping that once her candidacy is up they will get closer but I just don't know anymore. And the promo pics from the next episode are harsh because they show Gabby and Matt sitting together with small smiles on their face and their hands together. If I didn't read the article I would be happy but I'm not. **sigh***

**Lighter note: 201 REVIEWS!? You guys are amazing! Thank you to everyone who reviewed/favourite etc. It's amazing to know you all still love this fic. It's maybe about half way through at the moment so lots more to come and so on that note I feel that as a thank for your support this is a fitting chapter! **

**Chapter 18 – Holding Back**

Everyone just watched, as Gabby and Matt stood in front of the table, each unsure of what to say or do as the couple smiled politely at them. Cruz was the first to speak up, "Ah…Lieutenant…what is going on?" They both assumed that the whole table had seen their kiss on the stairs before making their way to the table, they had just hoped that didn't have to explain too much.

Matt smiled widely as he placed a kiss on Gabby's forehead just to add to the confusion, "I would like you all to meet Gabby Dawson…my girlfriend…" The woman at the table gasped in joy, clearly having the words said meant more than the fact that they had seen them kiss as they came down the stairs. The men at the table smiled, some knowingly and some from shock.

"This is a surprise..." Boden as the first to speak, everyone else too shocked at how well Matt and Gabby had been able to keep their relationship to themselves while at the firehouse. He had always suspected that something was going to happen but that it already had and that he hadn't picked it, he was shocked.

Gabby laughed, redness coming to her cheeks as everyone smiled widely at them, she had always hated being the centre of attention. "Yeah, we ah ... We wanted to make sure this was right before announcing it. James loves him so that made it easier." Glancing across at Herman, Gabby gave him a small nod, a knowing thanks for the last week.

"Christopher Herman did you know about this?" Cindy almost shrieked as they watched Matt pull a chair out for Gabby to sit on, having caught the exchange between the two. Everyone, Shay and Kelly specifically turned towards him, not realising that he knew as well, surprised that Matt or Gabby hadn't told them that he knew.

"What? No! ... All right fine. I worked it out last week when James was at the firehouse last after everything that happened. I went with Matt to check on Gabby because I had had experience with Leigh Henry so I wanted to help out, I worked it out pretty quickly." Herman smirked, happy with myself that he had been one of the first to know, knowing that Shay and Severide already knew about them.

Matt seat quietly next to Gabby, their hands entangled as they listened to the different interesting around, Gabby listening to Shay who sitting to her left and matt listening to Herman who was sitting opposite them. After everyone had gotten over their initial shock of seeing Gabby and Matt together they had been able to fall into conversation pretty easily. Gabby was enjoying just listening to the stories that were being told, the laughter and entertainment that Cruz and Otis were bringing to me table and the exciting she could feel coming from Cindy, who was sitting opposite them all next to Herman.

Occasionally Matt would let his hand rub against Gabby's, caressing her with his fingers without him even knowing what he was doing, or he would throw a smile in her direction to make sure she was ok, or he would even bring her hand to his lips, place a gentle kiss there before turning back to the rest of the table, seemingly lost in the conversations around him. So when he turned to face Gabby, his strength to not be completely focussed on her disintegrating, she was shocked when he started talking to her.

"You having a good night?" he had to lean over slightly to whisper in her ear, sending shivers down her spine as he did so. Pulling back just far enough so their faces were inches apart Gabby smiled, not even bothering to answer as she placed a gently kiss to his lips, letting him understand exactly how much of a good night she was having with him.

"Well then…I'm glad…" Matt whispered out when she pulled away, his eyes till closed due to the emotion in her kiss. He was going to make her pay for making him feel that way before the end of the night. His eyes flashing open when she giggled, pulling away from him even more and turning to face Shay who was smiling widely at them both.

"You know…I think you night not be able to hold yourself back tonight…" Shay leaned over to speak quietly with Gabby, knowing that her best friend was struggling with telling him how she felt about her boyfriend and about having sex with him but tonight, she could see Gabby crumbling on both and finally opening up to him. For the second time Gabby didn't answer a question, just smiling back at the other person, letting them know the answer without speaking. And it didn't take long for Shay to clue on, squealing quietly in excitement she reached over to wrap her arm around Gabby's shoulder, bringing her close, "I'm so happy for you!" The rest of the table looked on confused but Gabby just shook, not even bothering to give them the benefit of knowing what had Shay so excited.

Turing back to the table, Gabby focussed on the others around her, trying to ignore Matt's hand, which had found her thigh, just above her knee but the absentminded movement of his fingers were driving her crazy.

* * *

><p>Gabby watched as Matt and Kelly had moved to the bar, knowing that Kelly just wanted to have a conversation with Matt more than needing a drink but she didn't mind, she enjoyed being around the rest of the firehouse, she felt like she was home. Sudden movement next to her caught Gabby's attention; looking to the side she found that Boden had taken Matt's seat, turning to face her. Watching him a little confused, Boden spoke, "You look happy…"<p>

Sighing a little in relief, Gabby nodded, "Yeah I am. We both are… look chief I'm sorry we didn't tell you from the start, but we wanted to make sure this was right for us before saying anything, mostly because of James, he only found out recently as well. We just didn't want to say anything unless we were sure." Gabby looked back at Boden, trying to gauge his reaction to her words.

But like always, you couldn't tell what he was thinking, couldn't tell how he was going to react. With his straight face he spoke again, "How long?" it was a simple question, but again Gabby was concerned about answering it.

Taking a deep breath, Gabby looked away, suddenly ashamed, almost like she had been speaking to her father about this relationship. With her head and eyes still down, she spoke, "Ah it'll be almost 2 months now…" daring to look up at him with a glance, Gabby noticed that his smile was large, his white teeth shining through his lips.

"Oh Gabriella, I am happy for you both. I haven't seen Casey this happy in a very long time." He smiled again, placing a hand on her shoulder before rising from his seat, allowing Matt to sit down again. Matt gave Gabby a confused look, not sure why she had suddenly looked pale but the smile that was on her face contradicted her skin colour. Shaking her head, Gabby just placed a kiss on his lips, smiling when he kissed her back.

* * *

><p>Dinner had come and gone, the rest of the table to continued to drink but Matt had decided he had had enough after only four beers, wanting to make sure Gabby was having a good night, he didn't want to have to worry about her worrying about him. She had had a few as well, being pleasantly buzzed but hardly even tipsy so it helped her relax, her body tight from knowing that when they got home from the Gala she wouldn't be able to keep her hands off him.<p>

Matt watched as Cindy and Herman rose from the table, making their way to the dance floor, which gave Matt the thought of being able to have Gabby close without ripping the dress off of her. Standing suddenly, Matt placed his hand out for Gabby to join him, cocking his head in the direction of the dance floor. He watched as she blushed with embarrassment before glancing around the table but stood anyway, their fingers entwining as they moved towards the dance floor.

Matt brought Gabby close to him, one hand holding hers against his chest his other placed softly on her back, holding her lovingly. They moved slowly, side to side with the music as it filled the hall. They honestly didn't care if people were watching them, they were together and it didn't matter. "You do look amazing tonight baby..." Matt looked down at Gabby smiling gently as she blushed; she still had trouble hearing him say those words.

"Thanks. You look good in the suit..." Gabby replied shyly not really sure how to give him a compliment without freaking herself out. She rested her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat as it sped up a little as she leaned into him. Smirked at his reaction to her she leaned up, her hips rubbing against him gently as she placed a kiss on his lips, deepening it slightly when he opened her mouth to her.

Groaning Matt pulled away, knowing it wasn't fair how he his body was reacting to her, not because he didn't want to pressure her into anything but also because they were in public, at the gala dinner surrounded by their friends and co-workers. He was just trying to keep cool. And so he smiled down at her, placed a kiss to her forehead before moving again to the music in silence.

Finally needing to sit down, Matt and Gabby walked back to their table, their hands clasped tightly together as they laughed about something that had been said, but Gabby didn't make it to the table, Shay, Donna and Cindy had pulled her away before she'd even made it, sending a "we'll be back" over their shoulders to Matt who just laughed, shaking his head before taking a seat with the boys at the table.

They talked and joked for almost 10 minutes before the girls, excluding gabby made it back got be table, Matt glanced around confused but so ken getting his attention. "Man I can't believe you kept this from us!" Otis and Crus had already had a little bit to drink so their usual inhibitions were lowered. And so as they both went past matt to get to the bar they had wrapped their arms around Matt's shoulders pulling him back into the chair. "We knew it wouldn't have taken long for you two kids to hook up! We are just sad you didn't tell us!" Matt just rolled his eyes at the boys, laughing at how drunk they are.

Patting their arms, Matt laughed again, "I'm sorry, next time I get a girlfriend you two will be the first to know..." He shot a glance to Shay who was sitting next to him, a small beg to help him but she just shrugged, finding it amusing that Cruz and Otis were so upset about not knowing. It was then that Gabby's voice caught their attention, Matt, Kelly and Boden standing from the table, their heads searching in every direction for her.

Gabby stood quietly at the bar waiting to be served. She had just gotten back from being dragged away to the bathrooms by Cindy, Donna and Shay to have a discussion about her date. They talked and laughed for about 10 minutes before finally deciding to let Gabby get back to the table, where she knew Matt would be waiting for her, but first she decided that it would be nice to bring him a drink. He hadn't been drinking much during the night, sticking to so far only 2 beers but she wanted him to have a good time and so she was going to bring him another one.

As she waited patiently, she felt a hand wrap around her waist and sit on her hip, a chin rest on her shoulder. She smiled to herself, letting her eyes slip closed as she thought about Matt and how he could affect her so much. "Matt…" his name tumbled from her lips instantly but as the person spoke, her stomach dropped.

"You look good enough to fuck Gabby…" Pulling away from the person's hands suddenly, Gabby was shocked to find herself staring directly at Griffin, his smartass smirk staring back at her. "Oh don't be like that baby…" he leaned closer to her his time, trying to bring his lips to hers, the alcohol he had consumed during the night assaulting her nostrils.

"Griffin, get off! Leave me alone!" Gabby pushed him away, gaining the attention of some of the other fire fighters that were also waiting by the bar; each of the waiting to see what would happen next to make sure it wasn't bad. As Griffin took another step closer to Gabby, he pushed her against the bar, their bodies pressed tightly together. "I said no Griffin! Get off me!" Gabby pushed once more, this time with a little more strength than the last time and before anyone else could jump in she had raised her knee to his groin, putting as much force behind it as she was capable of, leaving him doubled over in pain and sucking in deep breaths.

"You come near me or Matt again and I will make sure that you will no longer be able to use the piece of your body you think with…" She had leaned in closer to him, her hand on his shoulder as she spoke, vaguely aware that people were watching her, Matt, Boden and Kelly had also come over when hearing the commotion. Glancing up to find Kelly and Boden staring at her and Matt smirking, Gabby stood upright, fixing her dress before moving away from Griffin, not even bothering to watch as he was slowly escorted out by security.

Matt opened his arms for Gabby to come to him, his smirk widening to a smile as he looked down at her, noticing she was still shaking slightly but she was ok. "That's my girl. You ok?" He was concerned of course but he had loved to see her stand up for herself the way she did, she was tough and wasn't going to let anyone tell her otherwise.

Gabby just laughed as she hugged Matt tighter around her waist, glancing at Kelly and Boden, "Yeah I'm alright. Really. He was drunk, so it was easy." She smirked, as she looked up at him, knowing that he was proud of her but she was still a little shaken, "Hey you wanna get out of here?" Gabby had glanced around, noticing that the night was starting to wind down, people had already started leaving and so Gabby thought that it was now or never for her and Matt.

Smiling softly, Matt nodded, reaching for her hand before bringing her into another quick hug, just wanting to make sure she was ok. "Yeah, lets do that." He whispered gently. If he was honest with himself Matt kinda had an idea that tonight would go the way he wanted to, he could tell by the way Gabby was around him, the extra touches, the more passionate kisses she had been giving him, but he didn't want to push anything, he would go with her no matter which direction she wanted to take it tonight. He was happy just being with her.

Sending a goodbye over their shoulder's Gabby and Matt headed back towards the cars that had been waiting for them, ready to take them both home.

**I know I'm so sorry that this is a) so much shorter than the other chapter and b) not what you all wanted to read. But the reason for both these is the same. Its shorter because with the next chapter it would almost 8000 words and I didn't want a chapter THAT long and also I feel that the next chapter should be on its own ;). Hope you enjoyed this!**


	19. Long Time Coming - M

**THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M! just an FYI :D**

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, thank you for sticking with this fic, I love you all for it! This is for you all. Now just so you all know, this fic is only about half way done so if you'll have me, this will keep going!**

**So they have said that Casey and Dawson getting back together is a 'maybe one day'. I kinda take that as a good thing. I mean they have said that Casey will have romances, that don't mean serious relationships so I am still holding out hope. They also said that they both still have a real connection, so I think they still want them together. I really hope so! :D. You know what though … part of me is kinda interested in seeing Casey with someone else, I dunno but there is something about it. But it will always be DAWSEY!**

**Chapter 19 – Long Time Coming**

Gabby stood quietly in the middle of her lounge, her hands fiddling with the material of her skirt as she heard Matt closing the front door, the lock latching, as he made sure everything was closed up before heading to bed. They hadn't spoken since the car had arrived at her house, each too unsure of what to say to the other, not knowing which was the night was going to go. As Gabby stood lost in thought, two arms wrapped around her waist pulling her into his chest. "You have no idea how amazing you look tonight Gabby." Matt placed a gentle kiss on Gabby's neck smiling as she shuddered against him.

Gabby signed against Matt, she loved having him so close and so she turned in his arms pulling him closer as she leaned up on her toes, slipping her hand to the back of his neck, the free one tightening around the material of his shirt, moving the material of his jacket at the side slightly. Leaning up just enough, Gabby pulled Matt's head towards hers, pressing her lips to his in a searing kiss that spoke more than any of the words she could ever think of. But after a few minutes of battling she pulled away, her eyes staying closed because she knew that if she looked at him there would be no way she could say them and yet she spoke the words that she never thought she would be able to, barely above a whisper, "I love you Matt".

The sharp intake of breath that came from Matt told her that he had heard her, he hadn't expected her to say it, he never wanted to force if from her but now that she had said it, he was over joyed. He watched her intently, her eyes still closed, lips parted slightly. "Gabby..." His voice caught her attention, although she remained still, not trusting herself to even breath, "...baby look at me...open your eyes..." But when his hands touched her face, bringing it up slightly, her eyes opened, and she found him smiling at her, his lips wide an his eyes shining. "Say it again baby...say it again..."

He wanted to hear it a million times if he could but still this stage, at he turned on she was making her, he would take it once more before pulling her close to him. Smiling widely, Gabby laughed, "I love you Matt, I love you so much-" as the words fell from matt didn't let her say anymore as he pulled her to him, his arms wrapping around her waist to bring her against him, his lips attacking hers fiercely as he showed her how much he loved to hear her say it. Moaning against his lips as their tongues battled against each other, matt bent down slightly, still keeping their lips locked, he reached the back of her left knee, encouraging her to come closer to him, instinctively gabby leaned closer to him, her leg wrapping around his, eliciting a groan deep from deep within his chest, he really was turning her on.

Pulling away once more, gabby looked up at Matt with hooded eyes, her breathing heavy as she glanced past his shoulder, her eyes finding the hallway that led to her bedroom but when her eyes met matts again, the smirk she gave his was enough to turn him into a wild animal. Forcefully, Matt's hand found the back of her neck, pulling her roughly to him, his lips finding hers, his hands then slipping just below her ass, bringing her to rise with him, he lifted her into the air, groaning into her mouth as she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling her dress scrunch around her hips and her arms wrap around his neck.

Matt walked them both towards the bedroom, their hands and lips fighting against each other, their passion igniting with the want for each other that had been building up for longer than they had actually been together. Kicking open Gabby's bedroom door, Matt reached for the lights, never letting his lips drop from hers. As he did so, he placed her down gently on the floor, never even noticing that she had lost her shoes in the trip to the bedroom. The sudden distance between the two of them caused the tension in the air to change suddenly, shyness taking over them both as they looked at each other, two steps between them.

They stood their for a few moments, just watching each other, their chests rising and falling in sync before Matt started to move towards her, his hands gently touching her face as he placed a loving kiss on her lips, this kiss was different, it was soft and caring, full of love and emotion. Gabby's hands slipped to his shoulders pushing the jacket off his shoulders, letting it softly thump on the floor at their feet. Slowly Matt skimmed his hands over Gabby's cheeks, resting against her back, fingering the zip of the dress she wore, waiting momentarily for permission, still wanting to allow her to say no if she wanted or needed to …not that he wanted that at all. When she reached to pull his shirt from his pants and her fingers starting on the small buttons, he took that as his sign and slowly led the zip down her back, opening her caramel skin for the world to see. He did not let it fall just yet; Matt just ran his hand up her back, feeling her muscles contract under his fingers as she flicked each button through its hole on his shirt, opening it slowly.

Feeling her pull away from him, Matt looked down a little confused, relaxing a little when she smiled back at him, Matt taking the chance to kick off his shoes at the same time as he relaxed slightly. He noticed that she was suddenly focused with his chest, her hands moving over each part of his exposed body that she could find, her eyes focused on what her hands were doing. The feeling of having her hands on his was driving him crazy, Matt inwardly groaned, dropping his head backwards and his eyes slipping closed as she let one of her hands trace his stomach, just above his pants, his muscles tensing under her touch. When he felt her hands slip to his belt his eyes snapped forward, looking at her completely now, noticing the smirk what played on her lips as she watched him, clearly acknowledging that she had felt him shudder under her touch.

Within a second she had slipped his belt through its loops, letting it hit the ground with a slight thud, her hand making their way back to his chest, over his shoulders, but under his shirt, pushing it from his body, letting it to fall to the ground. He couldn't hold back anymore, a deep growl coming from his throat at he reached for her again, pulling her roughly to him as his hands tangled in her hair, their lips meeting roughly, not wanting to hold anything back anymore.

Matt suddenly pulled away from her, moving his hands to her shoulders, letting his hands reach for her dress, pulling it down slowly, his body moving to kneel as he moved the dress to the floor, revealing her back panties and bra to him. From his kneeled position, Matt smirked up at her, loving the intent gaze she had on him, wondering what he would do next, and he didn't disappoint her. His hands slipped slowly back up her legs, planting little kisses as he travel back up her body, watching as her eyes fluttered as he did.

With each kiss he got closer and closer to her stomach, his fingers running teasingly across her panty line, her hands instinctively tangling in his hair as he placed kisses where his fingers had just been, gasps coming from her lips as he did. "Matt…" Her name whispered into the silence of the room, tugging him up roughly to bring him back to her, her lips finding his again, but this time it was her turn. She took his bottom lip in her teeth, holding on gently as she popped the button his jeans, the zip following quickly as her fingers brushed against his desire for, another groan escaping his lips as she did so.

The next thing he knew was Gabby had his pants falling from his hips, leaving them both standing on their underwear, neither embarrassed nor insecure of their reaction to each other. He'd lifted her again, her feet falling from the dress that had pool at her feet, him stepping out of his jeans as he reached the bed, resting her down gently. This time their lips hadn't touched, their eyes too focused on each other as they moved, their stare never wavering, even when her back touched the bed. Once she was there, Gabby scooted backwards, giving him more room on the bed, watching intently as he reached back pulling his socks from his feet before kissing her legs once more, starting on once side and making his way back up.

It was slow and painful, Gabby wishing he would go faster but he wouldn't Matt wanted to savour this moment forever and Lord knows he had thought about it for longer than he cared to admit. It didn't take long before he reached his destination, placing kisses over her panties, feeling her shudder against him as he did, her hands gripping the bed sheets the minute he allowed his finger to again trace where his lips had been, this time coming to the apex of her legs though. Relishing in just how much she wanted him by what he found there, the evidence of her desire already showing.

As his fingers went to move the material he found between her legs, her hand suddenly found his, stopping his movement and he looked up, a little shocked, a little confused and a little worried. Maybe she had changed her mind. But the look in her eyes softened his worry. She was embarrassed, she had pulled her bottom lip into her mouth, her eyes creasing slightly in the way that he knew meant that she was worried or embarrassed. "Oh Gabby …" Her name slipped from his lips as he brought her hand to his lips, placing a gently kiss on her fingers.

"… You are the most beautiful person I have ever met …" His words pleading her to believe him as he spoke them and they seemed to work as she let his hand go, rubbing it against his cheek, a small smile finding her lips. He moved back to his previous position, his fingers curling into the sides of her panties, his eyes never leaving hers as he moved them from her hips, watching as she swallowed deeply as he did. Still trusting every movement he made.

As his fingers travelled down her legs, the material being pulled away as he did so, Matt watched as her cheeks blushed bright red, her bottom lip bring brought into her mouth, a sign of embarrassment he wished she didn't show. Once he reached her feet he discarded the piece of clothing, dropping them to the growing pile of clothes that had found their way to the floor. Matt look back up at her once more, this time noticing that her hands had come to cover herself, an unreadable look on her face. Sighing to himself, Matt started to place gentle kisses on her legs, tracing his way back up to her, much like he had done earlier but this time it was completely different, she was completely bare to him and it was driving him crazy. His eyes were locked with hers, his fingers playing with the skin he found on the inside of her thigh, smirking to himself when he saw her eyes slightly flutter at the contact.

It wasn't long before Matt found where he wanted to be, placing kisses on the inside of her thigh, replacing where his fingers had just been, a gently groan escaped from Gabby's lips as he did so, her eyes closing once more but this time, both her hands came to meet his face, rubbing against his cheeks before tangling into his hair possessively. She wasn't forcing anything but she needed to know he was real and that he was really there with her and with the next kiss, her world collapsed. Matt found where he wanted to be, his lips attaching to her as her back arched in pleasure. It had been a long time for both of them, so to have the other so close they both knew it wouldn't take long before the were hitting the same ceiling. As Matt leaned in further to better his angle that he had, Gabby groaned once more, feeling him pushing against her leg as he lay on her, his want for her evidence that she still couldn't bring herself to believe.

Wanting to hear more of her noises, Matt let his tongue dart out and enter her, relishing in the iron like grip she had suddenly had in his hair, holding him where she wanted him as he continue to make her feel the most amount of pleasure she thought possible causing him to smile again her, his right hand coming up to join his mouth before his finger also joined his tongue. There was a deep growl from the top of the bed, his name slipping from her lips lustfully as he continue his movements, his finger moving in time with his tongue, feeling her get wetter by the second and himself get harder by the second. Within in moments, Matt could feel Gabby tighten around his finger, slipping another inside of her before moving them faster and harder with every sharp breath she took, his lips attaching to her bundle of nerves once again with more pressure this time, wanting to push her over the edge. It didn't take long, with the combination of his fingers and his lips, before her grip on his hair tightened beyond reason, her right leg raising to become bent against his side, Matt feeling her toes curl against his skin, she was so close and he was making her feel that way.

With one last moan, Gabby let his name slip from her lips, a cry of pleasure mixed in as her head tipped back, her back arched against the mattress and her left hand tangled in the bed sheets, Matt's movements pushing her over the edge as she was consumed by the pleasure. Slowly his movement, Matt looked up at Gabby, her eyes focused solely on him, a hooded glaze over her eyes as she smiled lazily at him, her fingers caressing his cheek. Matt smiled again, proud of himself for what he was able to make happen, proud that he had been able to make her feel such pleasure but also proud that he had been the one to do it for her.

Kissing her once more he moved further up her body, peppering kisses on his way, his hand slipping around her back, flicking the clasp of her bra, removing it one strap at a time, his eyes never leaving hers. He watched her swallow; silence filling the room again, both too lost in each other to bother speaking, content with hearing each other breath. The moment her bra was removed, Gabby lifted her head, her lips finding his like a bee to honey, her tongue instantly tangling with his, her arms wrapping around his neck, pulling him closer to her, his body weight falling on to her pleasantly as his hands travelled over her body, tickling her sides, tangling in her hair, running over her legs.

Together they fought for dominance, they hands and mouths battling for whatever advantage over the other they could get, before Gabby slipped her mouth from his, running them over his cheek before settling on a spot behind his ear that she had been eyeing off since they had met, something about it screaming pleasure to her. And she wasn't wrong. The minute that her lips found the skin there, Matt groaned into her shoulder, his hands tightening around her body as tingles ran up his body. Taking the chance, Gabby used all her body strength, with the added slackening in his force on her to flip them both over to Gabby was laying on top of Matt, her hands travelling all over his body, a sudden rush of courage finding her.

Maybe it was the high she had just had; maybe it was the stupid look on his face when she had flipped them over or maybe it was the feeling of his want for her pushing into her stomach that drove her to kiss her way down his stomach, her tongue darting out every now and then, tasting the skin on her chest and stomach, feeling his muscles clench under her touch, shaking as she continued further down his body. When she reached the lining of his boxes, Gabby smiled to herself as she darted her tongue above the material, feeling him shiver and hearing the groan that he let out as she did so.

His hands reached for her, resting gently on her shoulders as her reached for his boxers, pulling them from his body as he sat up on his elbows to watch ever movement she made, the cheeky smile on her face sending a rush of desire through his body as she reached his feet, much like he had done to her earlier, Gabby let his boxers fall to the floor by the end of the bed, the pile of their clothes now complete. Gabby made her way back up to him, raising an eyebrow when she watched him gloriously waiting for her.

She had always imagined that he would look like under those clothes, wanting someone, and now she knew and she was pleasantly shocked at what he had. Reaching for his waiting hands, Gabby tangled their fingers together as her kissed the inside of this thigh, a sharp intake of breathe meeting her movement, his hand tightening around hers. Before Matt even had time to think, Gabby took him in her mouth, the warmth sending shivers down his spine as his arms collapsed under him, his body hitting the bed with a thump as her tongue teased him, from base to tip she wanted all of him.

With each movement she made, Matt felt himself coming closer to the edge but he found himself having enough self-control not to fall over that edge too quickly. It had been a long time for him as well, true that he had had many chances to be with someone, even the chance of being in a relationship with a person but there was always something he was missing, something he wanted but was not able to put his finger on ... Now this is what he wanted, someone he hadn't met just yet -Gabby. He wanted to gabby and now here they were, laying naked on her bed as she played with him, her head moving up and down, him sliding in and out of her mouth like silk through fingertips. Instinctively Matt let out a deep growl, his free hand tangling in her hair as she moved, his head tipping back at the same time.

Something suddenly came over Matt and his eyes snapped open, meeting hers as she looked at him, her movements continuing as she smirked, the look in her eyes enough to distract him long enough to think straight. Tugging on her hair, Matt pulled Gabby from him; almost roughly pulling her body back up to meet his, his lips forcefully on hers, wanting nothing more than to bury himself inside of her. Groaning in her ear Matt sighed, "Enough of that baby, tonight it's all about you …" and with that Matt flipped them back over, Gabby letting out a gently squeal and laugh as he lay back down on her, taking her earlobe into his mouth as her arms went to his shoulder blade, pulling him closer, shivering under his touch.

Within in a second, Matt had pulled away from her, reaching for the sheet that was left on the bed, the quilt forgotten on the side of the bed, having been kicked off turning their domination fight. As he pulled it up to his back Matt went to rest on her once more, this time their movements were slower, more direct as Matt ran his hand over the apex of her legs once more, feeling exactly how much she wanted him as she moaned once more, moving her legs enough for him to rest at her entrance. Hovering over her, Matt placed a gently kiss on her lips, almost as if asking for permission but also making sure she was ok and if this was what she wanted.

As she reached for him again, she nodded, running her hand over his forehead, cheek and then to the back of his neck, where she pulled him in for a deeper kiss, giving him all the permission he needed. Matt leaned forward slightly, gently groaning as he entered her and inch at a time, letting her adjust to him as he did so. Her nails bit into his back as he did, a small cry escaping her lips as he came to the hilt inside of her. Pulling his head back quickly Matt looked down at her, "Are you alright?" He was worried, his eyes searching hers, looking for any sign of distress or a change of mind. With a quick shake of her head, Gabby leaned up and kissed him again. "I'm fine … I promise …" But it wasn't enough to convince Matt straight away, he touched her forehead gently, "Are you sure?" and with another nod her smile grew, "You have no idea how alright I am right now…"

Matt always worried about Gabby, especially now, when he wanted to show her that she deserves the best in the world and he wanted to give it to her but he also knew that it had been a long for her and so he wanted to be sure that she was alright, sure that she wasn't going to freak out because she wasn't ready or because he had done something wrong. He wanted to make sure this is everything she wanted. She had told him it had been a long time, in her words it had been years and so he was hesitant, rightfully so. But when she spoke, telling him that she was ok, that she wanted this, wanted him, it spurred him on.

With that Matt dropped his head to hers, a searing kiss beginning as he started to move inside of her, his hip starting a slow rhythm that felt like heaven. They clutched at each other tightly, needing to feel the other as close as humanly possible, their bodies moving as one as they kissed, Matt covering Gabby's mouth long enough to swallow the moan that was resonating from her chest. As sweat built up on their bodies, Gabby raised her leg to rest against his hip, pulling him deeper inside of her, her name falling from his lips with a steady stream of moans following, her nails digging deeper as his speed grew quicker.

Dropping his head to her shoulder, Matt placed a kiss on her collar bone, not able to control himself anymore, he pulled back, bringing her with him as he sat up, somehow pulling Gabby to his lap without breaking their contact. From this position, Gabby started to move in his lap, something about the change of position giving them an even more intimate sensation, being able to look each other in the eye as they moved, which they did, neither wanting to break the stare until Gabby leaned over, her lips finding the spot behind his ear once more. He pulled her closer as she kissed him sparks shooting through his body as she moved her hips, grinding into his lap deeper.

Together they moved, each needing to be closer to the other, Matt giving all of himself as Gabby gave him her all as well. Matt pulled Gabby into a hug, shifting gently, he flipped them both over again, this time there was no control in his movements, Gabby pulled him back to her as they kissed, Matt pushing into her once more, his movements erratic, loving but so close to the edge. When Gabby's legs wrapped around his waist, Matt knew she was close, he wasn't far either but he wanted to give her everything she wanted so he picked up his speed, moving in conjunction with her breathing, the moans and little curse words slipping from her mouth made his growl, needing to hear and feel more. But it wasn't until and a 'please Matt, I need you…' slipped from her lips did he completely lose control, he pushed harder and faster, his head falling to her shoulder as she shattered around him, shaking underneath him as he came seconds later, her name falling from him as he shook, his movements slowing as they came down from their high together.

They stayed together for a few moments, Matt pulled back to stare at Gabby, her hair a mess, her cheeks flushed, her skin covered in sweat and her chest heaving but she was beautiful and she was everything he had imagined and dreamed about. Looking down at her, he still couldn't believe that they were here, together. Leaning down Matt smiled, placing a gently kiss on her lips before pulling back, smiling again as he noticed her eyes were still closed, a smile playing on her lips.

Pulling away from her, Matt sat back, their bodies separating as he did but he wasn't going to let her go too far from him. He laid down on his side pulling her into his arms, their chests meeting in the middle, their breath coming out quick and shallow as they both let their bodies relax. "Have I ever told you how amazing you are Gabby?" He watched as her eyes fluttered with a smile, her arms wrapping around his waist, pulling him closer to her. She couldn't speak, only smile and kiss his chest, snuggling into him as close as possible. He was never letting her go; never going to let anything or anyone came between them. With a content sigh, Gabby looked back up at him, her lips lingering on his with a smile before her eyes slipped closed, their noses touching as they both fell into a deep sleep, never leaving each other's arms.

**Any thoughts?**


End file.
